Hiding in Plain Sight
by marksmom
Summary: AR - Even though Voldemort is gone, there are still threats to Harry's life, the Dursleys amongst them.  A rescue is planned, but when a certain redhead's heart is captured, does he want it back?  Rated M for abuse, language, slash, possible mpreg.
1. Chapter 1

"Now Bill, go get Harry and come right back." Molly Weasley looked at her oldest son. "We don't know how those Muggles have been treating him and I'm so worried that we haven't heard from him."

"Will do, Mum" Bill leaned over and kissed his mother's cheek. "Charlie, you ready?" At Charlie's nod, Bill smiled at Molly and disapparated, Charlie right behind him.

~OOooOO~

They apparated directly into the kitchen at Number 4 Privet Drive, hoping that the popping noise wouldn't wake up the Muggles.

"Charlie, what time is it?" Bill whispered.

"12:05...Happy 18th Birthday, Harry!"

Bill smiled and led the way down the hall to the stairs. He halted by the cupboard under the stairs and carefully picked the lock. Charlie shook his head, "Where the Hell did you learn to do that?"

"Gringotts, where else?"

As soon as Bill had the door open, he stuck his head inside to look for Harry's trunk. What he saw astonished and sickened him. There, in the cupboard under the stairs, was indeed a small cot, covered in a thin, dusty blanket. On top of that were Harry's trunk and his broom. After Bill had levitated the trunk off the cot and out of the door he turned to Charlie, who was staring in horror at the small bed.

"Merlin!" Charlie breathed. "How...?"

"Don't think about it...this is why we're here...to get Harry away from these people."

Leaving the trunk and broom at the bottom of the steps, Bill and Charlie carefully made their way up the stairs.

"Which one is Harry's?" asked Charlie in a whisper.

Bill shrugged, "Don't know...use process of elimination."

As it happened, the first door they came to was covered in several different types of locks, but it did have a small flap cut into he bottom of the door. Not wanting to think about what the flap was for, Bill knelt down and peered through it. "This is it...Alohomora!" Bill whispered the spell and the door opened with a slight squeak. Charlie went into the room first, startled to see nothing but a wand pointed directly at his chest.

"Harry, its Charlie Weasley."

The wand slowly lowered and Harry's head popped up out of the invisibility cloak. "Charlie?" Harry's voice was barely there, a weak croak. "Wha...why're you here?"

Charlie crept over to the bed as Bill came into the room. " We've come to get you Harry. We're taking you home with us." Bill was roaming around the room, looking at everything and nothing at the same time. He turned quickly and asked "Is there anything else, besides your trunk, broom and Hedwig's cage, that you need from here?"

"No...never coming back...just get me out of here."

Charlie noticed Harry's clenched teeth and pale, sweaty skin. "Harry, are you alright?" As Charlie put his hand on Harry's back, fitful moonlight streamed in and highlighted the spectacular bruising along Harry's neck and jaw.

"Lumos!" Bill hissed.

As the blue light from the tip of Bill's wand spilled over Harry's face, Charlie's knees threatened to buckle. He reached out a shaking hand to gently touch a large purple bruise that spread over Harry's left eye and cheekbone. "Gods, Harry! What have they done to you?"

"Don't ask, just get me out of here before they wake up." Harry looked around and wrapped the blanket around himself and his wand. He opened his mouth to say something, but shut it quickly, going even more pale as he shifted on the bed.

"Charlie...Bill? I don't think I can walk. How am I supposed to leave if I can't walk?" Harry's head hung down and he looked as if he would cry.

"I'll carry you." Charlie very gently slid his arms underneath Harry's legs and behind his back. "Alright there? I'm going to lift you now." As Charlie tightened his grip and straightened, Harry gasped and whimpered in pain.

"Bill, I'm going straight to St. Mungo's."

"NO!" Harry hissed. "I'm _**not**_ going back there, just got out...please, take me to the Burrow. Please!"

Bill nodded slightly and followed them down the stairs. Shrinking the trunk, broom and cage, Bill slipped them into his robes and looked around. "Go now, Charlie. I'll be there...shortly."

"Uh-uh," said Charlie, shaking his head. "I need you to help side-along with Harry. I don't want to hurt him...well, not more than he already is."

Bill paused and then nodded again, placing a gentle hand on Harry's right arm. "Front walk, Charlie."

Charlie gave a short nod. Harry heard a slight pop, felt a huge wave of pain crash over him and everything went black.

As the two men reappeared in Ottery St. Catchpole, Charlie looked down at the younger man in his arms. "He's out, Bill."

Bill heard the catch in Charlie's voice and looked carefully at his brother. Charlie's head was bent toward Harry and Bill thought that Charlie was trying hard not to cry.

"Let's get him inside and I'll go get Poppy Pomfrey...Mum can help get him settled."

~OOooOO~

Three long hours later, Madame Pomfrey came out of the bedroom and gave a heavy sigh. She walked down the stairs, intent upon letting everyone know how Harry was, now that she had healed the worst of his injuries. Molly heard her coming and ushered her into the kitchen where Bill, Charlie and Arthur Weasley were sitting, drinking tea and staring morosely at the walls.

When they saw the mediwitch from Hogwarts, Bill and Charlie stood up and started to ask questions. The older witch held up a hand to stop them. "Please sit and I will tell you everything I found." They resumed their seats and Poppy began speaking:

"Broken left tibia and femur, three broken ribs, punctured lung, broken nose, fractured jaw, a concussion and severe internal bruising, no internal bleeding other than the punctured lung, but that happened within the last six to seven hours and bleeding was very light. Nothing life threatening, since you got me so quickly, but it will take him quite some time to heal completely. He will continue to bruise as his body heals from the injuries. I repaired all the breaks and internal injuries, but he will need very close care for at least three to four weeks."

Molly put her hands up to her face and started crying. Arthur put his arms around her and began to rock her gently. Bill dropped his head into his hands and took a harsh, shuddering breath. Charlie stared straight ahead of him, his mind whirling. "Bill? Why did I stop you from staying there?"

Charlie jumped up and bolted out of the door. "_**CHARLIE!**_" Bill shouted as they all heard the very loud crack of Charlie disapparating.


	2. Chapter 2

~OOooOO~

Vernon Dursley gave a great start when he heard his wife, Petunia, scream downstairs. He heaved his bulk off of the bed and went down the stairs as quickly as he could. When he got into the kitchen, he halted, staring at the tableau before him.

Petunia was standing by the refrigerator and Dudley was standing in front of her, protecting his mother. There was a large, well-muscled red-head sitting at his kitchen table, idly twirling a stick of wood in his hand. Only as he thought about it, did the meaning of that particular stick of wood penetrate his mind.

"_**OUT OF MY HOUSE!**_" Vernon roared, his face turning a very unhealthy shade of purplish red. "_**OUT!**_"

Very quietly, Charlie Weasley stood and flexed his arms in a pretense of stretching. He did not smile, even though he wanted to smirk evilly at Dursley. He turned and pushed in the chair he had been sitting on. Allowing one eyebrow to slowly rise, he silently gestured with his wand for all of them to sit at the table. Very carefully the Dursleys walked to the table and sat, waiting nervously for Charlie to say something.

"I'm going to assume you don't have any idea who I am, but, then again, it might be best if you don't know me. I am a friend of your nephew. You know...Harry. The one whose safety you were supposed to assure. Strange though, when my brother and I came to get Harry last night, he looked anything but safe." Charlie started to twirl his wand in his fingers again, making the Dursleys cringe and sink into their seats.

"Harry had been injured, and, judging by the scope of his injuries, they did _**not**_ occur during a fall down the stairs. This means that someone in this household caused the injuries." Charlie felt his upper lip curl into a snarl and he leaned on the table. "I will say what I am going to say only once." His voice was quiet with menace. "Harry will never be coming back, you damn near killed him this time. You owe him more than you could possibly ever imagine. He was placed in your care as a baby and you treated him as if he was rubbish, like he wasn't good enough to grace your doorstep. Did you know that, four months ago, Harry saved the world from the Dark Lord? Did you know that he risked his life so that every man, woman and child on this spinning hunk of rock could still live and breathe? How did you repay that debt to him? You allowed your lump of a son to beat Harry to within an inch of the very life he risked for you."

Dudley tried to sink further down into his chair and looked ashamed at these words. He had never _**really**_ hated Harry, but if he didn't do as his father wanted...he didn't want to disappoint his parents. "Is he...is he going to be alright?" Dudley whispered.

Charlie slowly looked him over, noting the very pale face and the sheen of tears in his eyes, and asked "Do you really care? Or are you just asking to keep me from trying to do anything to you sorry lot?"

"No, I really care...I didn't want to hurt him, I just..." One single tear slid down the side of Dudley's face as his parents stared at him in horror.


	3. Chapter 3

~OOooOO~

A very emotionally and physically exhausted Charlie apparated back to the Burrow. _Gods how I hate having to Obliviate people_, he thought roughly. He stood in the yard and scrubbed his hands over his face to try and clear the image of a tearful Dudley Dursley trying to explain to him that he was scared that his father would take it out on him, if he didn't do as he was told. Charlie believed him; Vernon Dursley was that twisted. Dudley was actually really remorseful about what he'd done. The boy almost begged him to take him back with him to apologize to Harry. At that point, Charlie knew he'd have to Obliviate them. So, having removed all memories of Harry having been there this summer from their minds, he turned and left.

Bill came out on the front walk and watched Charlie. He knew his brother didn't have it in him to hurt the Dursleys, so he wondered what he'd said to them. Charlie's shoulders slumped and he turned around and saw Bill.

"No, I didn't hurt them."

"I know...you're not cruel. What _**did**_ you do?"

"Let them know what they had done and then Obliviated them."

Bill put an arm around Charlie's shoulders and steered him into the house. "Harry's not awake yet, and I'm pretty sure you're dead on your feet...come on." Bill held on to Charlie as he stumbled up to his room and then helped him into the bed. As Bill was shutting the door behind him, he saw Charlie curl into himself and start sobbing silently.

Bill came back in and closed the door, throwing up a complicated locking spell and an imperturbable charm for privacy. He sat on the side of the bed, pulled an unresisting Charlie into his arms and tried to comfort his brother as best he could.

Charlie's sobs became louder and more harsh as he gave vent to his emotions. Bill just held him, letting him cry himself out. Bill helplessly rubbed Charlie's back and whispered nonsense to him. As his sobs died away, Charlie fell into a light sleep. Bill gently kissed the red hair and got up from the bed. He left the room, putting the silencing charm back up, so that Charlie could sleep.

As he walked back into the kitchen, Molly looked at him with weary, tear reddened eyes. "Is he alright?"

"He will be, Mum. He's asleep right now, so I put up a silencing charm. He didn't hurt them, just Obliviated them." Bill sighed as he sat at the table. "Get Dad, please? We need to talk."

~OOooOO~

Charlie slowly came to consciousness and became aware that Arthur was sitting on Bill's bed, across from him. _He looks old, like he's aged overnight_, Charlie blinked at this thought and felt disloyal to his father. Charlie sat up and groaned slightly.

Arthur looked up at him and smiled. "Come downstairs...Family meeting." Throwing an arm around his son's shoulders, Arthur looked at him. "Harry's still out...Poppy said that it might take a full day for him to wake up." Arthur seemed to weigh his next words before saying them. "The family meeting is more like a private Order meeting. This concerns Harry and his safety. Bill has heard some rumours and wants to talk to you before talking to Harry."

Intrigued, Charlie let his father lead him into Percy's old room, now Arthur's study, and leave him alone with Bill. Bill was slumped in a comfortable armchair with what looked like a glass of firewhiskey in his hand. "I'll take one of those, if there's more."

Bill got up and poured Charlie a full glass of Ogden's Old and refilled his own. Charlie's eyebrows rose up and he threw a questioning look at Bill. "Will I need that much?"

Charlie got a sense of foreboding as he recognized that Bill was in leader mode. He knew that, whatever had put Bill back into leader mode, it must have scared him badly. And it concerned Harry. And him. Taking a deep breath, he accepted the glass from his brother and relaxed into the other chair.

"Charlie...I had hoped that I wouldn't have to talk about Harry without him being here, but I really haven't much choice." Bill sighed and took a large gulp of the firewhiskey, grimacing as it burned down his throat. "I have been hearing rumours for a few weeks now, about the remaining Death Eaters. The rumours concern Harry's safety, now that Vol-...Vol-...The Dark Lord is dead. I've heard that some of them, Malfoy, Sr. in particular, are talking about killing Harry because he killed their master."

Charlie stared at Bill in stunned horror. "Is this _**ever**_ going to end?" He took a deep breath and sipped at the firewhiskey, relishing the burn. "What do I need to do? I won't let anyone hurt Harry again." He sighed and flopped back against the chair. "Just tell me what I need to do and let me do it."

"Don't agree to anything without hearing me out first, okay Charlie? I don't want you to think you _**have**_ to do anything...it was just a thought I had." Bill took another rather large sip of firewhiskey.

"Bill? Are you _**trying**_ to get drunk?" Charlie had never known Bill to resort to liquid courage before and the change was disturbing. "Is it that bad that you need to drink before asking me to do something?"

"Charlie..." Bill set the glass down on the floor and put his head down in his hands. "I don't want to have to ask you to do anything. I know that any of us would do almost anything for Harry, but, right now, you're the only one who has the ability to just leave the country. You have a place in Romania..."

"What's that got to do with...wait! You want Harry to come back to Romania with me? Are the threats real? What about his recovery from what the Muggles did to him?" Charlie was in shock...were the rumours true? Could he actually take care of Harry like he needed? And if he was to be alone with Harry, how, in the name of all that's holy, would he be able to keep his hands off of him?

"Charlie, I won't ask you to do this...only Harry can. But, I would like to make the suggestion to him. I won't lie to Harry; he has to know the reason why it's being suggested. Mum was adamant that Harry stay here, but I really don't think that it would be a good idea. It wouldn't be safe.

Bill hung his head slightly again, and now Charlie realized why. Of all of his family, only Bill and Arthur knew of his preference for men. And only Bill knew that Charlie had feelings, other than just familial, for Harry.

What would the Wizarding world think if they knew that their saviour was bisexual? Most of them wouldn't think anything of it, but there was that small contingency, like his parents, who wouldn't be as accepting. When Charlie had tried to come out to Arthur, his father had sat there, looking like he had been hit in the face with a bludger. Arthur had stammered and asked Charlie not to say anything to Molly about it. He hadn't tried to tell either one again.

Nobody had known about his feelings for Harry, until he and Bill had gotten pissed one night last year and started swapping seduction stories, or, in Charlie's case, fantasies, because he had never seduced anyone, let alone had anyone try to seduce him. He'd had more to drink than he thought because, before he thought about the wisdom of revealing his secret, he was blurting it out to Bill. Bill had cleared his throat and recommended that Charlie keep that information to himself, he certainly didn't want to know.

It had come as a shock to Bill, though, when, less than a week later, Harry had starting asking Bill questions about _**his**_ sexuality. Harry had admitted to him that he was definitely more attracted to men than to women. He had wanted to experiment and thought that Bill would be a wonderful, willing test subject. Bill had gently set him to rights and had gone up the stairs to the room Charlie was using at Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Bill had been agitated but had finally told Charlie what Harry had wanted to experiment with. He had made Charlie promise that he wouldn't tell Harry that he, Charlie, was gay until he was of age in both worlds.

Now Charlie knew why Bill was drinking...Harry was of age in both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds now and could make his own decisions.


	4. Chapter 4

~OOooOO~

It was his turn to sit with Harry. To Charlie, it didn't resemble anything so much as an exercise in futility. He tried to reason with himself. Told himself that, just because he fancied Harry, it didn't mean that Harry would take a fancy to him. _Seriously_, he thought as he looked at his arms and legs, stretched out before him on the bed, _Who would choose to be with a bloke like me? Covered in burns and scars, choosing to live day in and day out with beasties that can, and probably will, kill me one day?_ The depressing thoughts played chasing games in his head.

Charlie was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't see Harry stir slightly and open his eyes. Tired green eyes traveled appreciatively down his body before returning to his face. Wondering what had etched the sadness so deeply there, Harry watched him a bit more before breaking the silence.

"Knut for your thoughts."

Charlie's eyes widened and flew to Harry, lying on the other bed, watching him. A smile of genuine happiness lit Charlie's face. _Merlin!_ thought Harry, _He's gorgeous!_

Charlie leapt off of the other bed and knelt down beside Harry. "You're awake! How do you feel? Do you want anything to drink, to eat? Let me go get Mum and Bill!"

"Wait, hold up there!" Harry almost laughed at the eager expression on Charlie's face. "Let me wake up and ask a couple of questions first." Harry thought for a moment. "Are they still alive?"

"Only you, Harry," said Charlie with a smile. "Yes, they're still alive, but they have no clue that you were there at all this summer."

"Good. What did you do with Dudley? Did you play magical bouncing ferret with him?"

"Huh?" Charlie looked perplexed. "Magical bouncing...? Are you thinking alright, Harry? Madame Pomfrey did say that you have a concussion, maybe that's affecting your thoughts."

"No, just something that happened in fourth year...remind me to tell you about it later." Harry tried to shift, to lie on his side, but stopped and groaned. Charlie gently shifted Harry so that he could turn on his side comfortably. Harry's breathing stopped for one long moment, before starting again in a rush that he really hoped Charlie hadn't noticed.

"I didn't do anything to hurt them. Just told them a few truths and Obliviated them."

"Alright...not that I would have objected to you hurting them a little, but I wouldn't want someone to do that for me. I'd want to do it myself, if it were going to happen." Harry was silent for a moment, then realized that he was staring at Charlie like an idiot and lowered his gaze to his hands. "Thanks Charlie. If you and Bill hadn't come for me, I...I'm not sure I would have been 'The Boy Who Lived' for much longer."

Charlie closed his eyes and swallowed audibly. Opening his eyes, he looked at Harry. _Gods! His eyes are beautiful! _Harry realized he had to get a grip on himself.

"You know we would do anything for you, Harry. Mum and Dad consider you to be another son. They wouldn't want anything to happen to you either." Charlie sighed. "Now that you're awake, let me go get them, and Bill, Ron and Ginny, too, so that you can get all the tears and wailing over with now."

Charlie grinned as he stood up and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, best to get that over with right away."

~OOooOO~

After everyone had come in and cried and carefully hugged Harry, he was left alone with his thoughts briefly. _I couldn't have asked for a better family, even though they aren't really mine._ His face darkened as he thought about his blood family, the Dursleys. _At least I don't have to go back __**there**__ again!_ He tucked his arms behind his head and thought about his future...the future he never thought he'd get to live.

The door opened slowly and Molly's head peeked around the edge. Looking back into the hallway, she said "He's still awake."

Molly, Arthur, Bill and Charlie filed into the room. Bill turned and muttered a locking spell and an imperturbable charm. Harry stared at him. "Bill, is that going to be necessary?"

He nodded. "Yes Harry, I think it will be." Harry recognized the leader in Bill's voice and tensed. _What now?_ he thought sadly, his ideas of a future popping like soap bubbles.

Harry shifted carefully so that Molly could sit on the bed next to him. Arthur and Bill sat on the bed opposite and Charlie sat on the floor, resting his arms on his knees.

Bill thought for a moment and then sighed. "Harry, you know I would rather do anything else than tell you what you need to do, right?" Harry nodded. "Over the last few weeks, I've received word of rumours about the Death Eaters still in hiding. There have been threats made about your safety, because you killed their master."

Harry dropped his head back, wincing as it made contact with the headboard of the bed. He sighed softly. "If the rumours are true, I'm not safe until I can heal completely. And wherever I am, those around me aren't safe, because they will be trying to protect me and not themselves." Harry slowly pulled himself into a sitting position. "What are my options?"

Bill looked at Arthur and nodded at him to start. "Harry, the first option is always that you can stay here. We'll make sure the wards are strong enough..." Arthur broke off as Harry's face flushed in anger.

"No! I _**refuse**_ to risk anyone in this house again! This will be the first place that they come looking for me; none of you will be safe!" That ended that option. "Next?"

Bill nodded in agreement. That had not been an option for him either, but he felt that he had to let his parents make it, and had known Harry would turn it down. "I will be going back to Egypt soon, to tie up some loose ends." At Harry's curious look, Bill smiled. "I've been offered, and have accepted, the position of Chief Curse Breaker at Gringotts here in London."

Molly, Arthur, Charlie and Harry all broke into wide smiles and congratulated him. As Bill was hugged wildly by his mother, he looked over her shoulder at Harry. "You can come with me and then come back to London when I do. I already have a flat set up and waiting for me."

Harry thought about that for a moment. "Any other options?"

"Well, you could always go to the United States and attend one of the wizarding universities there."

"No, I don't think I want to do that...next?"

At this, Bill looked at Charlie. Charlie turned to Harry and looked at him. "Have you ever thought about dragons, Harry?"

"You mean since the Tri-Wizard Tournament? Sometimes...not frequently, but I have wondered how you do whatever it is that you do." Charlie flushed a little and he went into a little more detail, telling Harry only a tiny portion of the responsibilities he had.

Molly started to shake her head. "No, I can't allow that...what if you get hurt even worse than you already are? No, that is not an option either."

Harry painfully turned to look at Molly. "I've never gone against your wishes while I have been under your roof, Mrs. Weasley..."

"Molly, dear, call me Molly." She said this while patting his leg as if he were five years old.

"Alright, Molly. As I said, I've never gone against your wishes before, but I am now an adult in both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds. I think that it's time I was allowed to make my own decisions about my future." Molly's eyes started to fill with tears and she shook her head again. "Please Molly...I _**will**__**not**_ put anyone in this house in danger, not while I have any kind of control over the matter. I also will not abuse the feelings and the caring behind your and Arthur's offering your house to me. Simply put, it is too dangerous for me to be in England right now. I can see that...I need to heal completely before I can even think about coming back. Staying in England is not an option for me right now." Harry looked at his hands. "How long do I have to make my decision?"

"We would need to make arrangements within a few days, a week at the most. We will need to arrange a portkey for you to wherever you choose to go. We might also want to arrange for one of those Muggle chairs with wheels. Just so that it will be easier for you to get around."

"What if I chose to travel as a Muggle? Would that create other difficulties?"

Bill's eyebrows shot up into his hair, but he mused this over. "No, it shouldn't...would you still be using your magic?"

Harry laughed, "Hell yes! I'm finally legal in both places, you don't honestly think that I'm going to give it up now, do you?"

Everyone laughed at that, even Molly. Harry could tell she was waiting to get him alone to try and talk some sense into him. He would ask Bill and Charlie to make sure that didn't happen. Harry's mind started to whir as ideas came to him about how to arrange what he wanted to do. He would need to spend some time with Bill, Charlie, Ron and Hermione to figure everything out, to see if they could find the best way to go about this.

"Bill, would I need a secret keeper?"

Bill's eyes closed in thought. "You know Harry, that wouldn't be a bad idea...but, please, make sure it is someone you would trust with your life. Not that your parents knew that they had chosen wrong, but make sure it is someone that will never, under _**any**_ circumstances, give out the details of your location." Bill opened his eyes and looked at Harry. "Do you know someone who would who would be willing to die rather than give up your location? Do you know someone who you would trust giving that sort of information to?"

"Yes, Bill...I do."

Arthur looked at Harry. "You sound like you've already made up your mind, Harry."

Slowly, Harry looked at each one in turn and smiled. "I have."


	5. Chapter 5

~OOooOO~

Ron apparated to get Hermione, while Harry begged Bill and Charlie not to leave him alone with their mother.

"You know what she's like, better than I do. She'll do everything she can to try to make me agree to stay here. I won't be responsible for anyone in this family being harmed because of me...and you know that _**is**_ what will happen."

Harry's brain was still producing ideas about what to do and how to get it done. "Bill, Charlie? I think that it would be better for everyone if I went to Romania, after traveling about a bit. No one would really think to look for me there. We will have to come up with a plan to get me and Charlie there safely, but what I've got in mind should work, at least to get me out of London."

The brothers looked at each other and then back at Harry, waiting for the younger man to continue.

"No matter where I go or who I'm with, one or more of the Death Eaters will be watching me, waiting for me to be alone."

Charlie interrupted, "You're not going to be alone, that's _**not**_ going to happen."

"I know, hear me out. As I said, they will be waiting, so we need to remove the chance that they could get to me. We'll have to act rather quickly, sooner than I want to, but, because of my injuries, we don't have the time to spare. We, Ron, Hermione and I, will go to London. I need new clothes anyway...but the three of us, me in a wheelchair, will go shopping. I will get whatever I need and then, at a pre-arranged signal, Bill, you will apparate me, the wheelchair and my purchases to your new flat. Does your family know where it is yet?"

"No, but how will I see a signal?"

"Charlie will be watching me at all times and when the signal happens, he'll apparate to you and you will apparate to me. Charlie will have appeared to have left the day before, but he will just go to your flat. You'll have to disguise yourself Charlie, so that no one recognizes you, but that will be easy enough with glamours. With Charlie supposedly gone to Romania, everyone will think I'm going with you."

Bill sat back, stunned. "Damn, Harry! Why didn't Dumbledore realize what a brilliant strategist you are?"

"He did, but refused to let me help plan anything because of my connection with Voldemort." Both older men flinched when Harry said the name. "Do you think it will work, Bill?"

"Yes. I do believe it will work." Bill thought a bit. "Have you given any thought as to who your secret keeper will be?"

"Yes, but that will come later. For now, let's just worry about getting Ron and Hermione to agree to this."

~OOooOO~

"_**NO!**_ You are not going to run the risk of being captured by Death Eaters! I am _**not**_ going to stand by and possibly watch that happen! You know how dangerous this is, and you want to do it anyway? I can't believe that you would _**willingly**_ take that chance!"

Harry had expected this argument, but hadn't figured on the direction it would come from. Hermione sat on the bed opposite Harry, Bill and Charlie and watched as an agitated Ron paced the floor of the bedroom. She understood the risk, but, she also saw the need to get Harry to safety. "Ron, this _**will**_ work. Harry knows what he's doing. The plan is very sound." She watched Ron, still pacing back and forth.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to Harry, you know that, don't you Ron?" Bill had kept silent about Charlie's part in all of this; he was supposedly heading back to Romania tomorrow.

"You're all nutters!"

"Ron, if you don't go, it'll have to be Ginny, and I don't want her involved. Please...I'll be safe. I have to get out of England quickly and this is the only way to endure that it goes as planned. Most of the plan hinges on you and Hermione." Harry looked at Ron pleadingly. "Please Ron, I need _**you**_ to be part of this. Bill will have this cloak, so that you know it's him." Harry held up a bright green cloak, so that Ron and Hermione could see it. "Bill will apparate in and say your name, so that you make eye contact and know it's him. Then he and I will apparate out.

~OOooOO~

This is a_** really**_ bad idea, Harry." Ron muttered under his breath. The shopping had gone as planned and Harry now had everything he would need. He had shrunk his purchases down to fit into a rucksack that he could hold onto during the maneuver.

"I know, but it'll work, you'll see." Harry smiled and gave Ron and Hermione quick, tight hugs. "Now, turn me to face the window; that's the signal he's waiting for." Harry didn't tell them who _**he**_ was, so that they wouldn't know.

Less than 30 seconds later, Harry heard the soft pop of Bill apparating next to him. "Ron." Ron met Bill's eyes and nodded. "Hang on Harry."

Bill placed one hand on the wheelchair and one on Harry's arm and, then, they were gone.

Hermione turned around to say something to Harry and screamed when she realized that he was no longer behind her. She looked at Ron and fainted into his arms.

~OOooOO~

"How did it go?" Charlie was waiting for them at Bill's flat.

"Everything went perfectly, thanks to Harry's strong planning skills."

Bill crouched down in front of Harry. "Who's your secret keeper?"

Harry smiled at Bill. "You are." Bill looked stunned and a little pleased that Harry trusted him that much. He vowed to keep that trust.

Bill and Harry watched as Charlie cast the Fidelius Charm that bound this secret between them. Bill noticed that Charlie had included himself as a secret keeper and wasn't surprised. Charlie was very protective of his family, both blood and extended.

Bill hugged Harry tightly and, then, hugged Charlie tighter. "Go. Now. Before I regret letting you leave."

~OOooOO~

Bill apparated into the Burrow and found himself in the midst of chaos. Arthur was sitting on the floor, holding Molly as she cried, sobs wracking her body. Fred and George were sitting at the table staring blankly at each other, tears leaking out of the sides of their eyes. When Bill tried to question them, they didn't seem to hear him. Ginny was curled up on the sofa, crying as if her heart would break. Bill gently touched her hair, but, if she felt it, she gave no sign.

Quickly going up the stairs to Ron's room, he went in and found Ron and Hermione, holding each other, but otherwise dry-eyed.

"Bill, please tell me that _**was**_ you, _**PLEASE**_!" Ron whimpered. Bill sat on the bed and hugged both of them close.

"Yes, it was me. Harry's safe now."

Hermione looked at him and whispered "Are you his secret keeper?"

Bill struggled to look confused. "I thought you were."

Hermione's eyes widened and filled with tears. "No, he wouldn't let me...I tried." She started to sob.

Bill looked at Ron. "You...?" Ron just shook his head and buried his face in Hermione's hair.

Bill drew a long breath and got up off of the bed. "Bill, d'you think...maybe...Charlie?"

Bill looked at Ron. "Merlin, I hope so." As he left the room, Bill sighed._ Gods how I hate being in charge._


	6. Chapter 6

~OOooOO~

All told, it took 2 weeks for Harry and Charlie to reach the reserve in Romania. they traveled slowly because of Harry's injuries and because Harry wanted to see Paris. The travel was a strain on Harry, so his injuries didn't heal as quickly as they should have.

"Well, we're here now. You're just going to have to take it very easy for a while." The tone in Charlie's voice brooked no argument from Harry.

"I will. Thanks Charlie...for letting me stay with you and for going with me. I know it wasn't easy, having to care for me and haul me halfway across the continent at the same time." Harry's head dropped down, his chin almost resting on his chest. "I just hope I won't be in your way here."

Charlie knelt down in front of Harry. "You won't be...I wouldn't have made the suggestion if it was going to be a problem for the reserve...and you are _**never**_ a problem for me. Now," Charlie stood back up. "Since we did the Fidelius charm, you are _**not**_ Harry Potter while you are here. No one is going to recognize you. What name do you want to use?"

Harry's startled gree eyes met Charlie's smiling blue ones. "I get to have a whole new name?"

"Yeah, if you want it. You can still go by Harry, but you should pick a different last name, just to be safe."

Harry thought for a minute. "Weasley...I want my last name to be Weasley."

Charlie's breath caught and he felt the sting of tears in his eyes. "Well, then, Harry Weasley, let's go get something to eat."

~OOooOO~

Harry didn't know what explanation Charlie had given the other dragon handlers, but they accepted him as Charlie's mate. Only after they had been at the reserve for about 2 weeks did Harry realize what kind of mate they thought he was. They thought that he and Charlie were bonded. Harry wondered if Charlie knew this and, if so, how he felt about it. Harry was determined to find out.

"Charlie?" Harry asked after supper that night. "When you explained to the other handlers about me, what explanation did you give them for my last name?"

Harry was surprised when he saw a blush start to creep up Charlie's neck. "Did you know that they think we're bonded?"

"Erm...ah...yes." By now, Charlie's skin was almost the same color as his hair. Harry was fascinated. He thought that Charlie was unflappable. Apparently not.

"Why do they think that?" Harry was enjoying watching Charlie squirm. Not that he didn't like the thought; it was quite arousing to think of Charlie Weasley as his bond-mate. But it couldn't be further from the truth. He knew that Charlie was straight, so the fact that he had told everyone that they were bonded was extremely intriguing.

"Jenkins asked why your hair was black when mine is red. If we were brothers, the colour would be the same. That explanation was the first thing that came to mind." Charlie was nervously shifting in his seat. "It was the only good explanation I could think of quickly."

Harry was silent for a moment. "Well, it does fit how a person with hair like mine would end up in a family full of redheads." He looked at Charlie and noticed that the blush intensified briefly and then started to recede. "Does it bother you?"

Charlie didn't look up as he fiddled with his glass of firewhiskey. "Not really. You are practically family, after all. It's just a little odd. Everyone keeps commenting on it and it's hard, sometimes, to remember what to say." Charlie jumped up to start clearing the table.

Harry smiled slyly and decided to go easy on him. "I've noticed that the handlers don't use much magic. Does it bother the dragons?" Charlie grabbed onto the lifeline that Harry threw at him and launched into an explanation of the effect magic has on dragons, as he washed the dishes by hand.

~OOooOO~

The days slipped by and they fell into an easy routine. Harry would cook all of the meals and Charlie cleaned up afterward. Charlie knew he wasn't all that great in the kitchen, so he was happy to let Harry do the cooking. He seemed to enjoy it.

The only cloud on Charlie's horizon right now was his increasing attraction to Harry. He had hoped that having to share close quarters with the younger man would be enough, but his wayward thoughts and emotions didn't seem to want to obey. The only time he didn't think about Harry almost constantly was when he was out with the dragons. But, even then, the thoughts would sometimes break through his concentration. The latest time was just an hour ago and Charlie had paid the price for allowing his attention to wander. He had a new burn and would have a new scar to show for it. After being cared for by the reserve's medi-witch, he was sent home to recover for a few days.

As he limped through the door, he saw that Harry wasn't about. Sighing in relief, he started to remove his singed clothing. He heard a slight noise, like a moan, and went to investigate. Nearing Harry's door, he realized that the noises were coming from inside. The thought that he should have knocked first only occurred to him _**after**_ he had pushed the door open.

The sight that greeted him held him frozen in the doorway. Harry was lying on the bed, completely nude, sporting a rather large erection for such a small man. Charlie watched, dry-mouthed, as Harry's hand worked up and down the stiff shaft. From the noises Harry was making, he was close to orgasm. As Charlie watched hungrily, Harry's sac tightened and he started to come.

"Charlie..."

Charlie quietly closed the door and grabbed his shirt off of the chair in the sitting area. He walked outside and quietly closed the front door. His head was spinning and he was shaking.

_Harry wanted him._


	7. Chapter 7

~OOooOO~

"Dad, I have no clue where he is. he didn't make me his secret keeper. For all I know, Harry's over in the States. He could be in China." Bill knew he was pushing the parent/child boundary and turned to look at Arthur. "Why are you so persistent about this?"

"Your mother." Arthur looked at Bill and realized that, even if Bill _**was**_ Harry's secret keeper, he wouldn't tell anyone. "Have you heard from Charlie?"

"Yes, I've heard from Charlie...you've been pestering him, too, I hear." Bill looked at his father in exasperation. "Dad, Charlie doesn't know where Harry is any more than I do."

~OOooOO~

Charlie made more noise as he came in the front door a second time, to warn Harry he was home. Harry walked out of his room slowly, favoring his left leg.

"SHITE! Charlie, what happened?" Harry came over to him and put an arm around his waist to support him. Charlie's breath hitched. "What happened?"

"Dragon." Charlie chuckled as Harry scowled at him.

"I figured that part out on my own, thanks very much."

"Well, you asked, and I told you. I've already seen the medi-witch, so I'm good."

"Come on, let's get you settled in your room." Harry, by sheer force of presence, propelled Charlie into his bedroom and waved his hand at the lamps. They instantly flared to life, casting light so that Harry could see the burn.

"Damn Charlie! What happened? And if you say 'dragon' again, I'll hex you into next week."

Charlie didn't pay any attention to the question. He was more interested in how Harry had lit the lamps without his wand. "Harry, you mind telling me how you did that?"

Harry flushed and lowered his head, so that Charlie had to strain his ears and move closer to hear him. "After the final battle, after I recovered, I found that I was able to do most of my magic without a wand. I forgot that no one has seen me do that. It just makes me feel even more like a ...like a freak."

Charlie sighed. "Harry, you are _**not**_ a freak. Look at me." Harry lifted shadowed eyes to meet Charlie's. What you can do...the wandless magic...is something every witch and wizard would pay to learn. Do you think it comes from being hit a second time with the killing curse?"

Harry nodded and dropped his eyes to the duvet. "Since I got out of St. Mungo's, I've practiced. Everything has come to me so easily. It's almost like my hands are now my wand. The magic is more powerful, too. It's like, at Voldemort's death, he gave me his magic, but none of it is dark." Harry blew out a quick breath. "That's why I feel like a freak. I mean...what else did he give me? I'm still a Parselmouth, but I can do that anytime now, even when there's no snakes around. I can control my magic much better than I could before. It's not quite so wild and all over the place. I'm just scared to find out what else I've 'inherited' from him.

Harry stood and started pacing the floor. "I've not told anyone about it. I don't want the Ministry to come and want to run more tests on me. It was bad enough when I was in St. Mungo's. Every time I woke up, there was another medi-witch and another test ordered by the Ministry."

Charlie's jaw dropped. "You mean _**DAD**_ forced you to have tests run?"

"No Charlie. Not your father. The tests ended when he was elected Minister." He was not going to tell Charlie that Percy had signed the orders. He didn't think Percy would survive if Charlie got a hold of him. "The person responsible was fired right after the tests stopped."

Charlie's eyebrows raised and then lowered into a scowl. "Percy," he growled. He got off of the bed and headed toward the fireplace in the sitting area. Throwing a small handful of powder into the hearth, Charlie said "Bill Weasley" into the green flames.

"Charlie, no, don't!"

Bill's head appeared in the flames. "You called?"

"Are you alone?"

"Yes."

"Come on through, got something you need to hear."

Bill threw some powder into the flames on his end and stepped through, into Charlie's sitting area, a few moments later. "What's up, Charlie?" He took in the scowl on Charlie's face and the battle-ready stance. "What's wrong?"

"Tell him, Harry."

"Charlie..."

_**"TELL HIM!"**_


	8. Chapter 8

~OOooOO~

Bill sat in his chair, held in place by shock. "Percy ordered tests run on you like you were an animal." Bill slowly shook his head, coming out of the shock. He bared his teeth and growled low in his chest. He could feel the wolf rising, demanding release, demanding retribution for his 'brother' and fought to control it.

Charlie put one arm around Harry's waist, to get them both out of the way, if necessary. He had not seen Bill this angry in some time, and it was frightening. Harry had never seen him this way, not even in battle. Harry felt Charlie's arm tighten when Bill stood and shook himself.

"I need to run Charlie. Where is it safe?" His voice was still low and gravelly, but there was more human than wolf in his eyes now.

"There's a path behind the cabin...leads away from the enclosures. Be careful."

Bill left the house and took off at a slow run down the path that Charlie had indicated. He couldn't believe that anyone, let alone his own brother, would do something like that to another human being. The thoughts kept coming, so he continued to run, to keep the wolf restrained. He didn't transform like a full werewolf, but he felt the alpha male urges to protect his pack.

After several hours, he finally returned to the cabin. He found Charlie sitting on the sofa, Harry's head in his lap. Harry was sleeping and Charlie's head was nodding, but he came instantly awake when Bill entered the cabin.

Bill motioned with his head to put Harry in his room. Charlie tried to stand, but the burns were still too fresh to allow him to stand with Harry in his arms. Bill came over and lifted Harry out of Charlie's arms and placed him gently on his bed. He left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

Bill slumped back in his chair. "I can't do anything. If Dad would find out that I beat the hell out of Percy because of those tests, he'll know that I know where Harry is."

"How about, after Harry comes out of hiding, you and I go pay Percy a little visit?" Charlie grinned at his brother.

Bill's answering smile was feral. "You're on!"

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes before Bill, working up his courage, asked Charlie a question that had been haunting him. "Charlie?" A small, tired grunt was his response. "Have you and Harry...well...you know?"

Charlie let loose a snort of laughter and met his brother's curious eyes. "You want to know if Harry and I have had sex?" Bill nodded. "What if I told you yes, we have? What would you do? Harry and I are both adults." Charlie watched Bill flinch and couldn't continue. "No, Bill. We've not. Harry thinks that I'm straight and I haven't corrected the assumption."

"Why? As you said, you are both adults."

"Yes, but he is still healing, and now, so am I. He may never get back the full use of his left leg, and me?" He looked down at his right thigh.

"What happened?" Charlie could hear the concern in Bill's voice.

"Dragon." Charlie laughed as Bill had almost the same reaction Harry had earlier.

"Gee, really? I wouldn't have guessed."

Trying to steer the conversation away from his burn, Charlie asked Bill about things back home. "Have you caught any more of the Death Eaters?"

"Actually, I was going to come over here tomorrow, to talk to you and Harry. We've captured 6 of them. Malfoy, Sr. and Crabbe are still out there, but we're getting closer. We have a spy in Malfoy Manor."

Charlie's eyebrows shot skyward. "Who?"

Again, Bill's smile was feral. "Draco Malfoy. He came to me and asked for protection from his father. Said that he was sick of everything, and for the protection of the Order, he would give up his father and Crabbe."

"He's _**willing**_ to give up his own father? What if he's just trying to worm his way in and find Harry, so that he can give his father the information?

"Thought of that. Gave him a dosed up drink to get it out of him." At Charlie's look, Bill grinned. "Veritaserum works wonderfully in Muggle lagers, I've found."

Charlie couldn't quite smother his surprised laugh. "What did he say?"

Bill went on to explain that Draco, figuring his life was ruined anyway, had come to Bill at Gringotts to talk to him. Draco had not once asked about Harry. Under the Veritaserum, he had revealed that he hated his father for trying to kill his mother in the final battle, when she'd told Draco to run from him. He wanted revenge and then he wanted to get on with what was left of his life. He wanted nothing from the Order, save their protection after he gave his father's location. The Order was now just waiting for Lucius and Crabbe to return to the manor from an effort to find Harry.

After discussions back and forth, Bill decided it was time he left. Before he could leave via the floo, he and Charlie heard the sound of someone apparating behind the cabin. Charlie quickly woke Harry and tried to get him to leave.

"No, I can get them faster than either of you."

Bill and Charlie watched, fascinated, as Harry made 2 small jerking motions with his hands. The heard a repeated thudding against the outside of the cabin. The brothers carefully crept around the outside of the cabin and found Fred and George being forcefully thrown against the back of the cabin.

"Harry, _**STOP**_! It's Fred and George." Bill hissed through the open window. As Harry's head popped out of the window, the twins were released. Charlie let Bill deal with their brothers and went inside to find Harry quickly shoving clothes into a rucksack.

"Harry, you're not leaving."

"I hurt them...I hurt them!" Tears were beginning flow down his cheeks and he started to shake.

Charlie put his arms around Harry and held him tightly. "Harry, you didn't know it was the twins. You couldn't have known. You're not leaving...at least, not without me." Charlie took a deep breath and looked at Bill, standing in the doorway. "If you want to leave, we'll leave. But, remember, no one but Bill and I know you for who you are."

Harry looked up quickly. "Are you going to tell your brothers the same thing that you told the handlers? _**That**_ should make for interesting dinner conversation." His sarcasm was unmistakable.

Charlie flushed, but kept calm. "If you want me to. They will not recognize you, so it could be the perfect explanation of who you are and why you're here." Little by little, he felt Harry relax, the tension slowly leaving his slender frame.

"I'm sorry Bill. Did I hurt them?"

"No, just knocked them out. Trust me, Harry, they've done worse to themselves." He looked at Charlie. "What explanation did you give the other handlers? Just so that Fred and George think that I was already in the loop."

Harry folded his arms across his chest and waited...surprisingly, he didn't have long to wait.

"When we got here, Harry took the Weasley name, as a precaution. The next day, the handlers met Harry and several of them pulled me aside and asked why my brother had black hair, not red. The first thing I could come up with was that Harry wasn't my brother, he was my bond-mate."

Bill's eyes widened slightly. "Well, if that works for you, Harry, we'll just let it go at that. I can almost guarantee that Fred and George will notice the 'resemblance' you bear to Harry Potter and will comment on it."

He gestured to Harry's glasses. "Do you want to keep those, or do you want a different pair? I could even correct your vision, if you want."

Harry's eyes grew wide and then thoughtful. "Try to correct my vision first." Harry took off the frames, laid them aside and shut his eyes.

Bill muttered a few phrases and touched his wand to Harry's eyes. Harry felt as though someone was squeezing his eyeballs like they were made of clay. "Alright Harry, open your eyes slowly."

Harry slowly lifted his lashes and, for the first time in his life, was able to see clearly and properly without the horrid glasses he hated. He blinked and slowly looked around. Seeing Bill and Charlie looking expectantly at him, he smiled broadly and hugged Bill. "Thank you! Thank you, so much!"

"I'll take it, then, that you can see." Bill smiled at Charlie who looked stunned. Bill realized that , without the glasses, Harry's eyes were even more of a bright green.

Seeing the look on Charlie's face, a look of calculated speculation came into Harry's eyes. It was as if he was truly looking at Charlie for the first time.

_Merlin help you Charlie. Bill thought. Nothing's going to stop Harry now._


	9. Chapter 9

~OOooOO~

Bill, Charlie and Harry sat at the kitchen table, drinking tea and, in Charlie's case, firewhiskey, until the twins regained consciousness. Bill knew that Charlie was trying to control his reaction to the sight of Harry without glasses. Bill thought that, had he be gay, or even bisexual, he would probably want Harry, too. Even being straight, Bill realized that Harry was just beautiful.

Hearing groans coming from the other room, they all got up and trooped into the sitting area. Fred and George were lying side by side on the floor, so the three men sat on the sofa and waited.

Fred woke first and grabbed his head in agony. George followed very shortly thereafter and did the same. Harry quietly whispered and pointed at them, to take away their headaches. The twins sat up and groaned at each other and then looked around, surprised to see Bill, Charlie and a dark haired stranger.

"Fred, I know it's not him, but doesn't that chap look a little like Harry?"

"Yeah, it's kind of scary, but no glasses. Harry needs them."

Bill leaned down to Harry and whispered, "Told you."

"Bill, What happened? We apparated to Charlie's and then were met by the side of a house that seemed to want to hurt us." George shook his head to clear the remaining fog.

"And who's he?" Fred pointed at the young, dark haired man on the sofa.

Charlie spoke first. "Harry, you'll have to forgive those two on the floor. To my everlasting shame, they are two of my younger brothers. Fred is on the left and George is on the right."

Harry smiled at the twins and looked first at Charlie, then at Bill. "I never would have guessed."

Bill looked at Harry. "Have you ever heard of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes? Well, you have now met the brains, such as they are, behind the name."

"I've heard of it, yeah. Great gags!" The twins smiled and thanked Harry.

"Well Charlie?" They stood up.

"Are you going to introduce us..."

"Or just sit there like a great lump..."

"While we draw..."

"Our own conclusions?"

Charlie watched Harry during the conversation and chuckled at the way his eyes moved back and forth between the two. "Yeah, it's sort of like watching a tennis match." He looked at his brothers and cleared his throat. "George, Fred, I would like you to meet Harry Weasley, my bond-mate."

George sat back down on the floor and Fred's jaw dropped open. "Shite, Charlie!"

"When?"

"How?"

"Does Mum know?"

"To answer your questions in order, one-not right now, two-about three months ago, three-in the usual way and four-no, and you're _**not**_ to tell her."

Fred and George looked at each other, then back at Harry. "Charlie, did you say..."

"...Harry?"

Charlie sighed. "Yes, his name is Harry."

The twins looked at each other again in silent communication. "Um...Charlie? Do you realize how much he looks like...?"

"Yes, now stop." He should have known. The twins were nothing, if not dogged in trying to ferret out information.

They came over and dropped to their knees in front of Harry. "How can we express..."

"Our gratitude that..."

"Someone _**finally**_ was able..."

"To tame Charlie Weasley?"

Feeling a little wicked at deceiving the twins, Harry looked at Charlie. "Are they always like this?"

Charlie snorted softly and hugged the twins. "Yes...and I don't think I would want them to be any other way."

Fred and George gaped at Charlie and blinked rapidly, as if trying not to cry. A single tear found it's way down Fred's cheek and George wiped it away. They each hugged Charlie, then turned to Bill and hugged him. When they turned to Harry, he shrank back on the sofa, not at all certain he liked the look in their eyes.

"Guys, don't scare Harry, he's new to all of this. For the last few months, it's been just him and me." Charlie gave them a look that had them backing away. "Oh, and Harry?"

"Yes?"

"Don't **_EVER_** eat **_anything_** that the twins have given you, alright?"


	10. Chapter 10

~OOooOO~

Bill and the twins stayed for dinner, which Harry cooked. They kept glancing at Harry and then at Charlie. Charlie watched this happen a few times and then put a stop to it. "Knock it off you two. You're going to scare him." Charlie rested his arm along the back of Harry's chair and crossed his left leg over his right knee. The pain made him hiss and straighten up immediately. He had forgotten about the burns on his right thigh.

"Charlie?" Harry asked, concerned. "What is it? Are the burns hurting more than they did before?"

"Yeah, with all the exercise today, I must have torn open one of the burns." Charlie felt like his thigh was on fire. "Got to go get something on it. I'll be back in a few minutes." Charlie groaned in agony as he tried to stand.

Bill and George assisted Charlie into his bedroom, Harry following and lighting the lamps again with a flick of his fingers. Bill gaped slightly as he watched Harry. Magic seemed to crackle all around him as he tried to make Charlie comfortable and take the dragon-hide trousers off of him.

"How can I see the burns if you won't take your trousers off?"

"Harry, these are not coming off while you are in this room. Get out and let me take them off and then you can look at the burns."

"C'mon Harry, you can come with me to say goodbye to Fred and George. Charlie? Do you need anything before I get the twins out of here?"

"No...thanks, Bill, for taking care of getting them home. After connecting with the wall like they did, they'd most likely splinch themselves trying to apparate."

"No problem. Harry, fire-call me tomorrow and let me know how he is, alright?"

"I will. Thanks Bill."

After they shut the door, Charlie lay in the bed trying to get his breath back. Pain was coursing up and down the muscles in his thigh and it was getting hard to hold back the tears. He managed to get his left leg out of the trousers, but realized that he'd need help with the right leg. It seemed to be stuck in places and he didn't want to tear anything more than he already had.

Harry came back in the room to help him. "Harry, go get a bowl of warm water and a couple of cloths. The trousers are sticking in some places and they need to come off."

As Harry went to get the water, Charlie tried to ease into a sitting position. The pain rolled over him and he had to stop. He covered his lap with the sheet and lay there trying to breathe through the pain. Tears slid down his face into his hair. He barely heard Harry as he came back into the room.

"Charlie? Charlie, can you hear me?"

Charlie nodded once.

"Alright, Charlie. I'm going to knock you out while I do this. You're not going to want to be awake for it."

Another nod.

Harry muttered the spell under his breath and sighed when he felt Charlie relax into unconsciousness. He carefully applied damp cloths to the outside of the trousers, soaking them, so that he would be able to eventually take them off. After a little bit, he was able to roll the trousers off of Charlie's leg. One of the newly healed burns had re-opened and had started to bleed. Fortunately, it wasn't inflamed or warm to the touch. Harry began to concentrate. Holding his palms over the wounds, he began to chant a healing spell, drawing strength from deep inside himself. The wounds began to glow slightly as new skin formed and torn, burnt tissues began to knit closed.

How long he stayed like that, Harry didn't know. By the time the glow faded, Harry was well past exhausted.

"Rennervate."

Charlie woke from the spell just in time to see Harry collapse to the floor. He scrambled off of the bed to get to Harry, mindless of his burns. He picked Harry up and laid the unconscious wizard on his bed.

"Harry, please wake up! Please Harry, open those green eyes, Sweetheart!" Charlie gathered the younger man in his arms and began to rock him gently. Tears came to his eyes again, but he paid them no mind. He bent further over Harry, cradling him closer as the tears spilled over. "Harry please, you have to wake up." Charlie felt a calloused fingertip trace the path of a tear. He looked down into luminous green eyes.

"You're crying for me?" A small smile lifted the corners of Harry's mouth. "No one's ever cried for me before."

"You're wrong there Harry. I've cried for you a few times already, you just weren't awake to see it."

Harry became serious and looked Charlie in the eyes. "How...How's the burn?" Charlie had the feeling that was not what Harry had wanted to say. He looked down at his right thigh and gasped. Yes, there was a scar, but it was completely healed. New skin had formed where there had only been a light covering of scar tissue.

"What the hell did you do, Harry?"

"Healed you. I don't know how I did it, I just did." Harry gently ran his fingers over the new skin and Charlie groaned lightly. Jerking his hand away, Harry looked at Charlie again. "Did I hurt you?"

Charlie felt like he was drowning in those green eyes. He felt his resistance slipping and knew that, before this night was over, he and Harry would become lovers. "No" came the whispered reply. "You didn't hurt me."

Harry reached up again, this time to trace Charlie's lips. "Harry" he groaned. "If you don't want me to snog you senseless, you'd better stop now."

"What if I don't want to stop? What if I _**want**_ you to snog me senseless?"

Charlie didn't answer, he just pressed his lips to Harry's, running his tongue over the lower before pressing between them. Harry opened his mouth to Charlie with a sound of pleasure. Harry found himself lying back on the bed. Charlie hovered over him, raining kisses down his jaw to his neck. Arching, Harry's head tilted back to give Charlie more access. Charlie growled as he kissed his way back up to Harry's lips. He claimed them with a deep, passionate kiss that made Harry want to curl his toes. His eyes shot open as he realized Charlie was _**snogging**_ him. _**Charlie**_, who was straight, was snogging him like there would be no tomorrow.

"Charlie...Charlie, stop."

Charlie lifted his head to look at Harry. "What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, Charlie, you didn't do anything wrong." Harry drew a shaky breath. "Charlie...you don't have to kiss me, if you don't want to. Don't feel like you have to."

Charlie sat up and pulled Harry into his arms. "We do need to have a talk, don't we? Before this goes any further."

_Here it comes_, thought Harry sadly. _'The Talk'_.


	11. Chapter 11

~OOooOO~

Charlie put a knuckle under Harry's chin and tilted his head up, so that he could see Harry's eyes. The fear he saw there made his heart still. "Harry, there's something about me that you don't know. It shouldn't change anything, but I realize that it could." Charlie sighed, drew a breath and looked at Harry again.

"Charlie, I know that you're straight. I know that snogging me was just a product of fear and helplessness." 

"NO!" Charlie almost shouted. "No. Harry, I didn't kiss you because...Harry, I'm gay." He felt Harry's body jump slightly. "I've known for years, I just choose not to tell anyone. It's not something that my parents would appreciate, if I did tell anyone." He hung his head. "They won't accept me. I know that I'm a grown man and can do what I want with my life, but I don't want to lose my parents. They probably wouldn't speak to me again." Charlie leaned back against the headboard of the bed, looking like a lost child.

_Gods! He's really scared!_ Harry thought as he picked up Charlie's hand and laced their fingers together. He could feel Charlie shaking.

"Charlie, being gay is nothing to be ashamed of...believe me, I know. I'm just a whole lot more open about it. I don't think, though, that you're giving your Mum enough credit." 

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the twins are bisexual. She knows about it and is very happy with Fred's choice of boyfriend right now."

"What?" Charlie looked confused. "Why didn't Bill tell me?" He looked hurt that Bill could keep something like this from him.

"Bill doesn't know. Well, he may have his suspicions after...well, after some revelations from George about me."

"What about you?"

"You know that _**I'm**_ gay, right?"

The surprise on Charlie's face gave him the answer. "I thought you were bisexual."

Harry smiled wryly. "I thought so, too, until I really thought about why I broke up with Ginny. I thought it was for her safety, and it was, but also because she caught me snogging George after I tried to get Bill to snog me."

Charlie snorted. "You trying to work your way through the family one by one?" He bent his head and started kissing his way down Harry's neck. "So, are you seeing anyone right now?" More kisses.

Harry chuckled. "Yeah, actually. I'm seeing this gorgeous redhead right now. He is absolutely beautiful, but I can almost guarantee he doesn't think so." He felt Charlie stiffen and try to draw away. "I meant you!" Harry bared his neck again. "And if you stop now, I'm going to scream!"

With a slight grin, Charlie let go and leaned back against the headboard again. "So, you think I'm gorgeous?"

In a very quick movement, Harry straddled Charlie, lightly rubbing his groin against him. "Mm-hmm." Harry was placing hot, open mouthed kisses across Charlie's shoulders. Harry made a sound of pleasure when Charlie leaned his head back and put his hands on Harry's denim clad hips. Charlie's breath hitched and then sped up as Harry ran a hand across his chest and lightly pinched Charlie's nipple.

"Like that, huh?" Harry moved to the other nipple and repeated the procedure, this time bending to add a quick lick. Charlie gasped and shuddered.

"What do you like Charlie? Tell me what you want."

"Everything...I want everything!"

Silence fell, punctuated by quick breaths and low moans. As Harry reached for the sheet covering Charlie, Charlie reached for the buttons on Harry's denims. "Take them off. Want to see you, want to feel you."

Harry slowly moved off of the bed and removed his shirt and denims, making Charlie growl when he saw that Harry wore nothing underneath. "Wishful thinking, eh Weasley?" Charlie groaned.

Harry smiled at the name and crawled back on the bed. "Wishing, hoping...fantasizing." Harry slowly peeled the sheet away from Charlie's hips and felt his mouth go dry. "You're gorgeous...and all mine!"

Lips and tongues met furiously as Harry lay down on top of Charlie and pressed their hips together. "Gods Charlie! You're so gorgeous!" Running his fingers lightly over Charlie's sides and down to his thighs, Harry slowly started licking and kissing his way down Charlie's body. _My own little playground_, Harry thought as he stopped to nibble at Charlie's nipples.

Charlie moaned low in his chest and ran his hands over Harry's shoulders and back. "Do you like this Charlie? Tell me how much you like this!"

"Gods Harry! I feel...I just _**feel**_!"

"Tell me what you want, tell me!"

"Don't know...ahh...never got past snogging before."

Harry's head shot up so quickly that Charlie was surprised he didn't give himself whiplash.

"You've never...?"

Charlie shook his head. "No. I was afraid to. I was afraid that Mum and Dad would find out." He ran fingers down Harry's chest to where the dark hair formed an arrow pointing down. If Harry stopped now, he might not get up the courage to try again.

"Damn, Charlie! One of us should know what the hell we're doing! I've not got that far either."

Charlie locked eyes with Harry. Bright blue held bright green for a long moment. "Alright, well then, we'll just experiment and see what we like. That alright with you?"

Harry swallowed and nodded slowly. Charlie moved out from underneath Harry and laid him back on the pillows. He ran a hand a cross Harry's chest, finding and playing with his nipples. Harry's breath caught and Charlie could feel his heart beat faster the more he played. Bending over him, Charlie ran a tongue across one nipple before settling down to nip and suck on the sensitive nub. When Harry groaned, he moved to the other nipple and let his hand wander down Harry's body.

Harry jerked his hips when Charlie's strong hand closed around his straining cock. he lost the ability to form coherent sentences and thoughts as Charlie moved his hand up and down the length. A whispered spell and Harry felt cool slickness on Charlie's hand as it began to move in a steady rhythm, up and down. His head began to move side to side on the pillow. He wasn't going to last very long, he could feel the tension coil in the base of his spine and his hips began to thrust upward.

Charlie felt the tension in Harry's body and moved over him, taking Harry's length in his mouth. He ran his tongue over the head before starting a steady bobbing motion. Harry's moans intensified until, with a shout, his body jerked and he came, hard, into Charlie's waiting mouth. Charlie tried to swallow all of Harry's offering, but couldn't, so he contented himself with licking up afterward.

Harry's mind was blessedly blank. He couldn't ever remember an orgasm being that intense. Granted, he had never had oral sex or any other kind of sex before. He looked at Charlie, who was almost purring as he licked Harry's thighs and belly. "You've _**never**_ done that before?"

Charlie shook his head. He took in Harry's stunned expression. "I take it that it was okay?"

"_**Okay**_? It was bloody amazing!" Harry sat up and wrapped his arms around Charlie's neck so that he could snog him. He tasted himself on Charlie's tongue and thought that it was one of the most erotic moments of his life. Quickly, he rolled Charlie over, so that Harry was on top. He wanted to know all there was to know. He snogged Charlie as if his life depended on it then he slid off of Charlie and laid down on his stomach, his knees up under him. He turned his head to look at Charlie. Charlie flushed as the meaning of Harry's actions penetrated his brain.

"Are you sure?"

"Hell Yes!" Harry breathed.

Charlie leaned in and gave Harry a quick kiss before starting to kiss his way across Harry's shoulders and down his back. His hands skimmed lightly down his back to knead Harry's arse. Harry began to moan softly and arched his back, pressing his chest into the mattress and raising his hips into Charlie's hands. "Now Charlie, now!"

Charlie's hands were shaking slightly; Harry could feel them as he quickly cast a lubrication charm. Charlie very gently spread the lube on Harry and eased a single finger past the ring of tight muscles. Harry gasped and arched his back again. After of moment of back and forth, Charlie slowly added another finger.

Harry moaned and started to move back against those fingers. Charlie started to move his fingers apart, trying to prepare Harry. He added a third finger and began to change the motions. He brushed over something that made Harry give a high keening noise. "Now, oh please, Charlie!"

Charlie withdrew his fingers and cast a lubrication spell on himself. Slicking up his length, he positioned himself at Harry's entrance. Very slowly, he pushed past the tight ring. He heard Harry's pained gasp and stopped. "Harry? Are you alright?"

"Just give...minute...ooh..."

Charlie had never felt anything like this before and it was almost killing him to stay still. His breath came in short pants and the urge to move was almost overpowering. He felt Harry relax around him.

"Alright Charlie." Harry let out a low moan as Charlie slowly slid in. Harry pillowed his head on his arms and arched his back, rubbing his leaking cock into the sheets. Charlie began to move faster, gripping Harry's hips for leverage. Harry was moaning and shaking and Charlie felt his muscles tighten around him.

Harry's shout was muffled in the mattress. Charlie felt Harry tighten almost painfully around him. The muscle contractions drew him over the edge and his breath stopped in his chest as the first pulses of completion washed over him.

Harry felt Charlie give on last hard thrust and then warmth. He looked back at Charlie and was captivated by the sight. Charlie's head was thrown back, his eyes closed and the expression on his face was beautiful.

Charlie slumped over Harry and rolled them to the side, both breathing heavily. Gently, Charlie slid himself away and pulled Harry into his arms. As Harry was pulled into sleep, he thought heard Charlie say "Love you." But then, both of them were lost to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

~OOooOO~

Harry woke to the feeling of an arm around his waist. A large, heavy arm. He lay still as the memories of the night before came back to him. He smiled and slid carefully out of Charlie's embrace. The dragon handler's hand immediately began to move around the spot where Harry had been, searching for him. His eyes opened and looked around for Harry. Seeing him standing next to the bed, Charlie smiled and reached out a hand to him. Harry quickly cast a cleansing spell on both them and the bed and crawled back in to snuggle up to Charlie. He heard Charlie sigh happily and stretched up to kiss him.

"I wanted to tell you last night, Harry, but I guess I fell asleep. I-I love you." Harry looked into Charlie's eyes and saw the fear of rejection lurking in those blue depths. He cradled Charlie's cheek in his hand as he stretched up again. He plastered his body to Charlie's and began to snog the living daylights out of him.

"I love you, too. I've never felt like this about anyone before." Charlie wrapped his arms around his lover and held him tightly, burying his face in Harry's shoulder. Harry felt warmth on his skin and the tremors that shook the larger man. He pulled away slightly to look Charlie in the face. Seeing the tears in the other man's eyes, Harry faltered. "Did...did I say something wrong?"

"No, I just wasn't expecting you to love me, too."

"Why?"

"I've been alone for so long, Harry. You get used to not having someone around, to hearing only the sound of your own voice. You get used to the fact that there's no one there to share anything with, that you're completely alone." Charlie's voice cracked on the last word. "I don't want to be alone anymore."

Harry wiped away the traces of the tears from Charlie's cheeks. "You don't have to be alone. I'm here now."

"But will you want to stay with me? Will you be willing to put up with all my strange habits and stuff?"

"As long as you can put up with mine. Charlie, I'm not going to leave you. After the most mind-blowing experience of my life, I'm not about to go anywhere. Except for to the loo. I have to go there."

Charlie chuckled and reluctantly let Harry out of the bed. He watched as Harry padded naked across the room and went to the loo. He crawled out of the bed and pulled on a pair of loose fitting trousers. He never bothered with pants because he couldn't wear them underneath the dragon-hide trousers he had to wear for work. He made his way to the kitchen and began to prepare breakfast for Harry and himself. He hummed lightly under his breath as he worked, happier than he could ever remember being.

Harry stopped back in his room and pulled on a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. He walked to the entrance to the kitchen and stopped, watching Charlie move about the small space. Harry leaned against the wall and continued to watch. He hadn't lied when he told Charlie that he loved him. He wasn't sure when it had happened, but it had. It made Harry very happy to know that Charlie returned those feelings.

~OOooOO~

They received a fire-call from Bill that night. He seemed very excited, so they told him to come over to share his news in person. A half an hour later, Bill flooed into the sitting room of the cottage, his face wreathed in smiles. Not half a minute later, he was followed by another person. Draco Malfoy.

Harry stiffened in Charlie's arms. He really didn't want to see the bane of his existence, but for Bill to have brought him with him, there must have been news about Lucius Malfoy. Draco barely concealed his disdain for the small cottage, but kept himself from making a comment.

"Draco, you know my brother Charlie. This is his bond-mate, Harry Weasley. Harry, this is Draco Malfoy."

Harry held out his hand, struck by the irony of the situation. He had refused Draco's hand in first year, and they had been enemies and rivals after that. Now he was offering his hand, waiting to see if Draco would take it. Without hesitation, Draco took his hand and closed his fingers about Harry's. "It's a...pleasure to meet you." Draco looked at him carefully. "Has anyone ever told you that you look like Harry Potter?"

"A few times." Harry smiled slightly. He figured if anyone recognized him, it would be Draco Malfoy.

"Yes, but you're not him. Spent a good portion of my life around him, I'd know if you were."

"Thanks for the compliment." Draco nodded in response.

Bill looked at them. "I'm pretty sure you're wondering why I've brought Draco with me."

Harry just stared at him while Charlie nodded. "It might be nice to know."

Bill looked at Draco and motioned for him to speak. "My father and one of his...associates...were captured today by Aurors. They were trying to make their way into Malfoy Manor. I had changed the wards, so that the Ministry was notified if they tried to gain entry. As a result, I need to be away from England. Just until I can be assured that they will not escape Azkaban and come after me. I am here, basically, to beg and plead with you to allow me to stay in your...home...until my safety is guaranteed."

Charlie looked at Harry. He seemed to be staring blankly into space. His eyes suddenly snapped to meet Draco's. "Alright. If you tell me what happened there. I was only there for some of it. I'd like to know what I missed."

Draco nodded in agreement. "I think I can do that. At least from my perspective. I don't know how it was for Harry Potter, but I can tell you how I saw things."

"That's all I want. I've heard of it from Charlie and Bill, but now I want to know what someone else thought." He looked at Charlie. "Is that alright with you?"

Charlie nodded. "We have the extra bedroom, so there's no problem there." He looked at Draco. "Do you have your things with you? I can show you to the room now, if you'd like." Draco nodded.

"Please. I'm a little on edge right now and would really like to be alone for a bit."

"Follow me." Harry stood and walked to the second bedroom. He quickly summoned his things and moved them into Charlie's room.

"Am I taking your room? I thought that you were..."

No, I only keep my things here. Not much room in the cabin."

"If you're sure..."

Harry smiled. This was the first time he had ever seen Draco Malfoy this unsure of his situation. "It's fine. I promise. Get some rest. It's late, but do you want anything to eat?"

"No, thank you. I ate before Bill Weasley dragged me out here. Where is here, by the way?"

"Romania."

Draco's mouth hung open for a moment. "Definitely no chance of them finding me here."

"Not unless they have a death wish. We're on a dragon reserve. This is one of the safest places to be." Harry left the room and closed the door. He cast a silencing spell, so that Draco wouldn't hear their conversation.

He quietly sat down next to Charlie and pulled his arms around him. He sighed and looked up at Bill, still standing there, looking at Harry like he was afraid of him. "Tell me."


	13. Chapter 13

~OOooOO~

"Tell me."

"Tell you what?"

"Tell me why you thought it was a good idea to bring Draco Malfoy here."

Bill sighed. "Harry, I didn't have anywhere else safe to take him. This is about as safe as it can get. You're on a dragon reserve in the middle of Romania. If Lucius Malfoy escapes, this will be the last place he would think to look for Draco. Are you going to go back on your word that this is alright?"

Harry glared at Bill. "No, but a little warning would have been nice." He leaned back against Charlie's chest and closed his eyes, missing the look Bill gave Charlie and the slight nod he got in response. "You know my history with him. The conversation we had earlier is about as close to civil as we've ever been. I'm just hoping he doesn't realize it's me."

Charlie tightened his arms around Harry's chest. "He won't, unless we tell him. Only the three of us know."

Bill looked at Harry. "Once Malfoy, Sr. is safely put away, hopefully with his magic stripped, it will be safe for you to come home."

"What about Crabbe?" Harry was taking no chances. If the father was anything like the son, he was about as intelligent as a sack of rocks, but he could follow orders. "If Malfoy has told him to kill me, he won't stop until he's done just that."

"His transgressions were worse that Lucius'. He was sentenced to the Kiss immediately. They carried it out before I fire-called you. There's no chance of him getting free."

"Why would they give the Kiss to Crabbe and not Malfoy? I don't understand the logic behind that." Charlie had tried to stay as far away from the politics of the war as possible, so he understood very little, other than the need to see Voldemort destroyed.

Harry shifted slightly, so that he could look at his...boyfriend?...lover? "Malfoy was too smart to be caught doing the menial work. He was Voldemort's second in command. Crabbe, Goyle and others like them were the ones who actually did the killing. I'm certain that, if Malfoy's wand was checked, you might find a Cruciatus Curse, maybe an Imperius Curse, but nothing worse than that." He looked up at Bill. "How long do you think he's going to have to stay here?"

"Hopefully, no more than a week. Two, if the Ministry drags it's heels."

"What about Narcissa Malfoy? She's just as bad as Lucius."

"That's something that the Ministry didn't let get out. She _**wasn't**_ as bad as Lucius. Both she and Draco were spies, alongside Snape."

Harry felt the blood drain out of his face. Charlie noticed and turned Harry to face him. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Did she recover from the Sectumsempra?"

Bill looked at Harry in astonishment. "That was you?"

"No. Hermione. She'll never forgive herself if she did permanent damage to someone helping us."

"She recovered completely. I don't think it would be a good idea to tell Hermione that they were spies, if it will cause her to lose sleep over it."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "That was the only horrible thing that Hermione did. She mostly stayed by me and Ron, keeping the Death Eaters away from me. I don't know if she even realized she hit someone with it. I only saw because I turned around to check on them."

Harry gave a huge yawn, trying hard to cover it up. Bill saw and smiled slightly. "I think I'll go home now. Let me know if you need anything." After giving both Harry and Charlie a quick hug, he flooed back to his flat.

Charlie stood and took Harry's hand. "Come on, Love. We're both tired and I think that sleep is probably what we need right now."

Harry allowed himself to be led into Charlie's room...their room. As he walked past, Harry canceled the silencing spell around the room Draco was in and placed it around their room. Even if nothing happened tonight, he didn't want Malfoy to hear any conversations that might take place.

"What did you do with your...?" Charlie stopped speaking as he saw Harry's clothing lying in a pile in the corner of the room. "We need to expand the dresser, so that you have a place to put your clothes."

Harry nodded, tired beyond the ability of speech. He swayed slightly and Charlie's arms surrounded him. "Let's get to bed Harry." He helped Harry out of his clothes, until he was clad only in a pair of blue boxers. Charlie's mouth went dry, but he controlled himself. Harry was too tired for anything to go on tonight. He gently laid Harry on the bed, smiling slightly as the smaller man immediately turned on his side and snuggled into the pillow. He went to the loo and wandered around the small cabin, making sure there were no candles lit and the fire was banked for the night.

He was headed back into the bedroom when he heard the sound of sobbing coming from the guest room. He knocked once and opened the door. Draco sat forlornly in the middle of the bed, tears running down his face. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Draco dragged a hand across his eyes and nodded. He stood and followed Charlie out to the sitting room. Charlie summoned two bottles of butterbeer and lit the lamps. Draco sat on the sofa and sighed deeply. Charlie was entranced from the first words that fell into the silence.

~OOooOO~

"I never loved my father. He was always too cold, too restrained. My mother and the house elves raised me. He never showed me any kind of emotion, except for anger and disappointment. He never hugged me, never told me if I was a good child or a horrible one. He expected me to be just like him, cold, cruel and unemotional.

"When I started school at Hogwarts, I knew that Harry would be in my year. I wanted nothing more than to have a real friend, for once. All the _**friends**_ I'd had, up to that point, were the children of other Death Eaters and those that my father thought were worthy, like Blaise Zabini. I didn't realize it, until the train ride to Hogwarts, that I'd already messed up my chance to be friends with Harry. I didn't know it was him in Madame Malkin's. I insulted Hagrid and, on the train, I insulted your brother Ron. I didn't know that we'd all been told lies about Harry's childhood, not until years later."

Draco sighed and brushed away a stray tear. "I didn't know that he knew nothing about proper etiquette. All I knew was that he had refused to shake my hand. I guess that we all thought that he was going to be this perfect example of a wizard and, when it came right down to it, he wasn't. I wasn't the only one who was disappointed in 'The Boy Who Lived'. Most of the Slytherins hated him from the moment he was sorted into Gryffindor. We had all hoped that he would be in Slytherin, with us. The Ravenclaws wanted him, too. I don't think the Hufflepuffs could have cared less, as long as he was happy where he was placed.

"We became enemies, Harry and I. All I ever wanted was a real friend and what I got was an enemy. He never really attacked me, I always did the attacking, verbal or physical. He just protected himself, occasionally sending a hex or jinx my way, but never actually starting anything. He just didn't have it in him. By the time sixth year rolled around, I realized that I was going to be given to The Dark Lord by my father. The man, and I use the term 'man' loosely, was disgusting. He didn't care who graced his bed, as long as they were pretty and pure blooded. I wasn't about to let that happen, neither was my mother. We spoke to Dumbledore the summer before the term started. In exchange for information about my father and The Dark Lord, we would be given the protection of Hogwarts. I know a lot of people wondered why I never left the school or the grounds after that summer. It was because I couldn't be protected if I did. My mother chose to stay with Severus Snape, my godfather. Apparently, they had been together for several years, keeping it secret from me and my father. It was a good thing, because Father would have killed them both." He looked at Charlie and, seeing only acceptance, continued with his narrative.

"Later that year, around Christmas, I found out that Blaise Zabini was neutral. He chose neither side and was being persecuted by the other Slytherins for it. He and I formed a bond over this, vowing to protect each other, if it came down to it, and it did several times. No one noticed how many times either Blaise or myself ended up in the infirmary. Well, I'm sure Harry noticed, but he never said anything. Blaise was the only student who knew about me and Mother. Harry and I formed a wary truce toward the end of sixth year. He wasn't sure where my loyalties were, because _**Dumbledore**_" Draco spat the name, "never told him that my mother and I were spies. During the Final Battle, though, Harry saved my life...more than once. He risked his own life to save my worthless arse."

"Don't say that." The voice came from behind Draco. The two men turned to look at the hallway leading to the bedrooms. Harry moved out of the shadows and came to sit in Charlie's arms. "I'm sure he had his reasons, and no one's life is ever worthless."

Draco shook his head. "No, he hated me. I should say hates me. I've never given him a reason to like me, even though that's what I wanted more than anything." Draco wiped away more tears. "I've always been cruel to him, even though I hated doing it. Even after I became a spy, I kept it up. I had to, or risk it getting out that I was a spy. The other Slytherins just thought that I went neutral, like Blaise. Then, Harry didn't come back for our seventh year. Neither did your brother or Granger. Blaise and I tried to find out where they were, but Severus wouldn't tell us. I'm not sure if he even knew where they were. Then, suddenly, they were there and the Final Battle took place. I don't think I had ever been so happy to see him. The hope that had died when the three of them weren't there came back. Harry won the battle, saving my life and the lives of everyone else."

Draco looked up and met Harry's eyes, then looked at Charlie. "That's why I agreed to give my father away. He had never done anything for me and here was someone that I had tormented and practically tortured, saving me. I did it for Harry."


	14. Chapter 14

~OOooOO~

Harry let his gaze wander over the boy/man that he had spent the last seven years hating. He hadn't known, until Bill told him tonight, that Draco had been a spy. He only knew that, when the Final Battle happened, Draco had been fighting with Harry, not against him. That's what had prompted him to save Draco. If he was fighting with them, he deserved to be saved. He looked up and caught Draco's eye.

"Tell me more, please. I want to know what it was like through your eyes."

Draco snorted slightly. "Where do you want me to start?"

"How about when you realized your father was going to hand you over to him?"

Draco nodded. "I had met the Dark Lord several times, after he gained a body. I didn't know until later that Harry had been forced to give his blood for that to happen. He always made comments about how beautiful I was, how fit and attractive. It creeped me out, but I put up with it, because I figured that I would find out what he wanted more quickly that way. I was napping in the library one day when Father brought him to the Manor. I couldn't get out of the room, so I cast a disillusionment spell on myself. When I heard Father agree to give me to him as a bed mate, I almost ran out of the room, but kept still, knowing that if I ran, they would know I had heard them and would most likely want the deal to start right then. I waited until they left and went to find Mother."

Draco shuddered, his breathing was a little shallow, so Harry reached out and placed his hand on top of Draco's. "It's alright, it's over. What happened then?"

"As I had suspected, Mother was no more keen on that happening than I was. She kept me in her room that night. The next morning, Father had already left by the time we went into the dining room, so we ate quickly and packed our things. Mother shrunk down all of the bags and we flooed to Hogwarts. We explained everything to Severus and to Dumbledore. After we were given Veritaserum and questioned, Dumbledore agreed to our terms. I got my own quarters and Mother had hers. I wouldn't be able to be in Slytherin House after it became common knowledge that we had fled."

Harry had wondered how Draco had been able to have his own quarters. That was reserved for the Head Boy and Girl only. He was glad that Dumbledore had done that, though. It meant that Draco had survived his last two years at Hogwarts. He had learned a lot about his 'enemy' that night, things he might never have learned otherwise. "What happened after that?"

"The attacks by the Death Eaters were becoming more frequent and I knew that Father had an idea of where I was. I don't think he knew Mother was there as well. He tried several times to get to me at Hogwarts, but since I never left the castle or grounds, he couldn't get close enough to grab me. I had heard, via Granger of all people, that Voldemort had punished my father for allowing me to escape. I was torn for a short time, until Mother reminded me of the agreement that Father had made. Severus made several potions for us, so that no one would be able to trace our magical signatures to Hogwarts. I don't know whether Harry knew it or not, but Severus also made a stronger version of the same potion for him. Severus knew that they were going to be looking for horcruxes over the summer, so he made sure that Harry, Granger and your brother had been given the stronger potion. It would keep their signatures from being discovered and traced. Without those potions, I don't think they would have made it back."

_Note to self,_ Harry thought, _thank Severus when we go back._

"Seventh year was tedious. There were long periods of boredom spaced out between short periods of extreme fear that the Death Eaters would attack Hogwarts before Harry, Granger and Weasley could get back. When they finally came back, I think there was two weeks before the Final Battle took place. None of us knew it, but they had been successful in tracking down and destroying the horcruxes. All except for one."

This part of the story Harry had never told anyone, not even Ron and Hermione, so it remained to be seen if Draco knew everything.

"Father had told me that the reason the Dark Lord had been vanquished when Harry was a baby was because, when he tried to kill Harry, he created a seventh and final horcrux. That horcrux remained alive for the next sixteen years."

Charlie's brow furrowed in thought. "Alive? How can a horcrux be alive?"

"If the seventh piece of the Dark Lord's soul was placed into a person, that person became a horcrux."

Harry felt Charlie stiffen behind him. "Harry! Harry was a horcrux?"

Draco nodded. "Father said that the piece of the Dark Lord's soul lodged in the curse scar on Harry's forehead. As long as that piece of soul remained in Harry, and he remained alive, Voldemort could come back. Not many people know that, during the Final Battle, Harry allowed himself to be hit with the killing curse again. That curse killed the final piece of the Dark Lord's soul. It also should have killed Harry, but it didn't, I don't know why."

Harry fought with himself not to say anything. Until Lucius was sentenced, he had to remain in hiding. He could feel the tremors traveling through Charlie's body and placed his hands over Charlie's, trying to calm him. Hoping Draco wouldn't hear him, he turned and whispered in Charlie's ear. "We will talk about this later, when we're alone." He felt rather than saw Charlie's nod of agreement.

Harry turned back around in time to see Draco smother a yawn. He stood and held out his hand to Charlie. "I think we need to try to get some sleep now. We can talk more about this in the morning."

Draco nodded and shuffled off to his bedroom. Charlie held Harry tightly in his arms, still trembling. "Come on, Love, let's get to our room. We need to sleep, too." Harry pulled Charlie along after him, casting another silencing spell once the door was closed. He continued to pull Charlie over to the bed and pushed him into it. "Let's get settled and then I'll tell you about it, alright?"

Charlie slid under the sheet and held it up for Harry to crawl in next to him. "Alright, we're settled, now tell me about this horcrux."

Harry sighed...this wasn't going to be easy. "I didn't know I was a horcrux until Voldemort hit me with the killing curse a second time. Draco was wrong, though, I did die." Charlie's arms tightened around him. "I met Dumbledore in a room of some sort where he showed me that the pieces of Voldemort's soul had all been reunited, and he could now be killed. As I was technically dead, I had to make the choice to either come back and finish him off or stay dead. I chose to end it. I couldn't allow that kind of evil to live."

He looked up and was startled to see tears running down Charlie's cheeks. He reached up and wiped them away, placing a kiss on Charlie's lips at the same time. "I knew I had to kill him, otherwise, no one would ever be safe again. I made the choice, of my own free will, to come back and end things."

"Did Albus know what you would have to do"

"I think so. He never told me while he was alive, only after he was dead, in that room."

"Why did he keep that from you? _**How**_ could he keep that from you?"

"I don't know Charlie. He may have thought that I would do something drastic if I had known earlier."

"Drastic? What kind of drastic are you talking about?"

Harry slowly let his breath out between his teeth and cancelled the glamours on his arms. "Drastic like this." He held his arms up so that Charlie could see the scars running up and down his forearms. "I tried more than once to kill myself."

Charlie ran a shaking hand over Harry's left arm, feeling each one of the scars like a stab to his heart. "If he knew you might do something like this, why didn't he stop you? Didn't he care?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't know if he cared or not. I found out some things about Dumbledore, after his death, that made me look at him in a whole new light. Did you know that, while he was at Hogwarts, Voldemort was known as Tom Riddle?" Charlie shook his head. "He was an orphan and a half-blood, just like me. What Dumbledore didn't want anyone to know was that, in a roundabout way, he had caused Tom Riddle to be an orphan. During the first war with Grindelwald, Riddle's mother had been killed by Grindelwald during a fight with Albus. Riddle's father hated his mother because she had tricked him into marrying her, she never told him that she was a witch. So, Tom Riddle ended up in an orphanage. Years later, Riddle found out about it and blamed Dumbledore for every bad thing that ever happened to him. He was extremely powerful, but worked to control it so that no one knew. It worked, until Dumbledore found out. He began to ostracize Riddle, in essence creating the creature known as Voldemort through hate and fear."

"So, also in a roundabout way, Dumbledore caused your parents' deaths."

"Yes, that's one way you can look at it." Harry sighed. "When he found out how powerful Riddle was, he knew that he had to be killed, or risk the rest of the world. The unfortunate thing was that Dumbledore wasn't powerful enough by himself to do that. He needed me. I think all I ever was to Dumbledore was a tool, something to use, something to achieve the end he wanted. I don't think, however, that he expected to die trying to reach that end. He thought that I would. After all, if the great Albus Dumbledore couldn't kill Voldemort, how could a seventeen year old child?"

"How could he knowingly send a seventeen year old to his death? This was the man we were all brought up to revere and love, the kindly grandfather to the wizarding world. How could he keep that part of him a secret for so long?"

"He didn't...how do you think Voldemort was able to gain that many followers? He told the truth about Dumbledore, he let everyone in on Albus' dirty little secret."

Charlie leaned in and pressed his lips to Harry's. "I thank the Gods, Goddesses and whatever other deities there are out there, that you made it back safely." He raised one of Harry's arms to his lips and kissed the scars there. "I hope that you never feel so overwhelmed again that you feel you have to do something like this to get away from it. He should have known what that kind of pressure would do to you. He should have prevented that."

Harry smiled slightly. "I think that the Fates were, for once, smiling on me when they gave you to me. You are the person that can balance me, I think. Someone to provide the calm voice of reason whenever I start to get out of control. Thank you for loving me."


	15. Chapter 15

~OOooOO~

Draco had been at the cabin for about a week before they heard back from Bill. Dinner was over and Draco was regaling them with a tale of his misspent childhood when the fire flared in warning. A moment later, Bill stepped through. His eyes met Draco's and he nodded. A single tear fell from Draco's eye, but he controlled himself quite well.

"How did he die?"

"He was sentenced to the Kiss. The trial itself lasted for 4 days and they took an entire day to deliberate and determine the sentence. I'm sorry Draco."

"I'm not. He deserved whatever he got. He was a terrible person and an even worse father. I don't think I'll miss him much." Harry saw the slight shaking of his shoulders that belied his words. He stood and walked to where Draco sat and pulled him into his arms. Draco's resolve broke and he began to cry on Harry's shoulder. After a while, Harry looked down and Draco had cried himself to sleep. Harry stood and picked up his former enemy, cradling him as he would a child, and carried him into his room. He cast a silencing spell as he closed the door. _I'm getting really good at the silencing spells_, he thought, _hopefully I won't have to use them much longer._

He returned to the sitting room and relaxed next to Charlie on the sofa while Bill sat in the armchair across from them. "Alright, I'm sure there's more."

"There is. It was trial by Veritaserum and some of the things out of Lucius Malfoy's mouth would scare the hell out of anyone listening. The man's body count was well over 200 muggles and muggle-born witches and wizards. Those were just the ones he remembered. If you take into account that he'd been Obliviated a few times, I'm sure that number would increase. He admitted that he kept a wand at the Manor that was used strictly for killing. The Aurors are there now, going through the place. The house and vaults will be transferred to Draco once the search is done. I'm sure there will be a letter waiting for him when he gets back."

"Nothing will happen to Draco, right?"

"Right. I've already made his position as spy known to the Ministry and let them know that you would be very displeased if any action was taken against him because of his father." Bill flushed slightly. "I hope you don't mind that I threw your name around a bit."

"In this case, no. We spent the first night he was here talking for quite some time about his role in the whole thing. He's been punished enough for having that man as his father."

"Good. I'll be back tomorrow to talk some more, but right now I'm done in. I'll see you both tomorrow." They bid Bill good-bye and sat on the sofa in silence for a few minutes.

"I'm going to get ready for bed." Harry stood but immediately collapsed to the floor as the muscles in his left leg cramped painfully. He tried to straighten his leg, but the pain searing up his leg wouldn't let him. Charlie jumped off of the sofa and picked him up, carrying him into the bedroom. By this time, Harry had tears leaking out of his eyes. Usually when this happened, he could brace himself on something and work the cramp out, but not this time. It felt like his entire leg was on fire and it was all he could do not to scream in agony.

Charlie stripped off the loose trousers Harry was wearing and gasped at what he saw. All of the muscles in his left leg were seized, only the slight twitching of the muscles showed that this was not their normal state. He gently pressed on the muscles in Harry's thigh and Harry screamed in pain, shattering the silencing spell on Draco's room. Charlie knew he had to massage Harry's leg, but where to start? "Harry help me out here, where do I start?"

"Top...work your way down...ahh..._**Hurry**_!"

Charlie began to knead the muscles firmly, making sure that he was working with enough pressure to get to the muscles underneath. Occasionally Harry would moan in pain, but otherwise kept silent. Charlie hated the thought of Harry being in pain and then him causing more pain on top of that, but he knew he had to do this or the muscles could tear. He wasn't sure that Harry had avoided that, though, and planned on getting the reserve's medi-witch to look at Harry once he was done.

Harry fought to remain conscious while Charlie was working on his leg, but he gave up, sinking into the welcoming, pain free blackness. Charlie felt Harry's body relax and realized he had passed out from the pain. The muscles in his leg, however, didn't relax. He kept working until all of the knots had been worked free. He watched for about 15 minutes, just to make sure that they didn't cramp again, before running for the medi-witch.

Helga was a rather large German medi-witch with a heart of gold. She grabbed her wand and ran back to his cabin with him. She ran a scan over Harry's leg and shook her head slightly. "Not good, not good. He's torn muscles here and here." She pointed at Harry's leg, just above his knee and down at his calf. "He will not be able to walk on this leg without pain for at least a week, possibly longer. You know you will have to help him, ja?" Charlie nodded. "I will heal the tears now, but the damage is done. I will speak with Rowan, he will need to give you more days to help your bond-mate."

She spoke the words of several different healing spells, checking after each one to see if it worked before trying another. "He is hard to heal, your little one. He has many, many injuries that have never been healed properly. You bring him to me, ja? He needs to be healed all over his body. Was he beaten while growing?"

Charlie nodded. "His family was abusive. We tried to get him completely healed, but I guess it didn't work too well."

"I will warn you now, Charlie, he won't regain full use of this leg. Too much damage and too many times. His leg has been broken at least four times, but I can only see one healing, and that was for the most recent break. He has no contact with this family of his, ja?"

"No, I got him out of there. He won't ever see them again."

"Good! You should see if the laws in England allow you to charge someone for damage done in years past. It would be good to see these people get what they deserve." She finished healing the torn muscles after finding a spell that worked and then stood. "You bring him to me tomorrow, you hear? I want him in my cabin right after the morning meal. Now, let's look at your burns." She reached for the waist of his trousers to pull them down, but he stopped her.

"It's healed. Harry healed it for me."

"Eh? He can heal others, but not himself? Does he know how badly he was hurt?"

"I don't think so, Helga. Also, if it was that easy, he would have done it already. I don't think his skills work on his own wounds."

"Well, let me see it anyway." When Charlie hesitated, she gave an unladylike snort, "It's not like I haven't seen you before. I know I do nothing for you, and you do nothing for me, so let's see it."

Charlie flushed brightly as he showed her the healed burn. "Gods! What talent this boy of yours has! I would love to get him into an apprenticeship with me, we could use him here."

Charlie stared at Helga as the wheels in his head began to turn. "I'll have to ask him, he may want to do that."

"You bring him to me tomorrow and we'll both ask. What harm can it do to ask?" Helga nodded and left the cabin.

He turned to leave the room so that Harry could sleep in peace. He would have left the room, but he ran smack into Draco, standing in the doorway, his eyes wide. "Will he be alright?"

Charlie nodded. "Sorry for disturbing you, but I needed to get the medi-witch here as quickly as possible. I didn't think about the noise I was making." He motioned for Draco to follow him to the sitting room.

"It's alright, I wasn't asleep anyway." They sat on the sofa, much like they had several nights back, but this time Charlie summoned firewhiskey and two glasses.

"This alright with you?" Draco held out his hand for the glass. "I need something stronger than butterbeer this time." Draco noticed Charlie's hands shaking as he poured.

"What happened?"

"He was injured badly several months ago and it never healed properly. The muscles in his leg went into spasm and some of them tore."

Draco winced. "He'll be able to walk though, right?"

"Helga said that he would be in pain for about a week, if not longer, but yes, he'll be able to walk again."

"Charlie, who is he?" Charlie's head shot up.

"What do you mean?"

"I know I really don't have the right to ask, but he's someone important, isn't he?"

Charlie didn't know how to answer Draco's question or if he even _**should**_ answer it.


	16. Chapter 16

~OOooOO~

Charlie stared at Draco, uncertain about what, if anything, he should say. He wasn't going to let Draco in on the secret, only Harry could do that, but he wanted to say something to keep Draco from asking more questions.

"That's not my tale to tell, Draco. Harry will have to tell you, if he wants you to know."

Draco nodded. "Fidelius. I thought so, I could feel the magic around him. I've only known one other person who exudes magic like that...Harry Potter. I'll wait until he wants to tell me." Draco thought for a moment. "When you said that Harry would walk again, will he be able to walk perfectly? He had a slight limp before, is it going to be more pronounced now?"

"A little, maybe. His leg was broken several months ago and we didn't give it time enough to heal properly. It shouldn't be too bad, though." Charlie sighed. He was hoping it wouldn't be too bad, but they really wouldn't know until Harry could walk without pain.

"You really love him don't you?" Draco watched him closely, noting how Charlie's face lit up when he thought about his bond-mate. Draco hoped to find that kind of love one day. He had thought, maybe...but, no, Blaise had never looked at him like Charlie and Harry looked at each other.

"Yes, I do. It took us a bit to get together, but, yes I do love him very much."

Charlie's head swung toward the bedroom. Draco could hear moans coming through the open doorway and stood. "You go see to him. I'm going back to bed."

Charlie walked into the bedroom, closing the door and casting a silencing spell. He crept over to the bed, loathe to wake Harry if he wasn't already up. Pain clouded green eyes stared at him and a slight whimper reached Charlie. He grabbed a phial of pain potion that Helga had left and helped Harry to sit.

"I know, Love, I know it hurts. Drink this and we'll cuddle for a while, alright?"

Harry took the phial and drank the orange liquid. He held the phial away from his face in confusion. "Are you sure this is a pain potion? It doesn't taste gross like Snape's used to." His body answered the question as most of his pain disappeared. "If this works just as well as the ones Snape made, why couldn't he have made his taste better? I always knew he was torturing us on purpose!"

Charlie laughed as he crawled into the bed and pulled Harry carefully into his arms. "I don't know Harry. I always thought the same thing. Helga wants to see you tomorrow, so that she can look over your leg...and some of your older injuries."

"Who's Helga?"

"The reserve's medi-witch. By the way, she was impressed with the healing you did on my leg, she would like to talk to you about apprenticing with her."

"Really? That's something I never thought about. I think I might like to be a healer...you know, fix people instead of breaking them."

Charlie scowled at Harry. "You didn't set out to do that, you know. It was just something you had to do in order to survive yourself. I don't want to hear that out of you, you're not a cruel person."

"I know, but that's always how it seemed to be. I'd try to do something good, but end up hurting someone instead. I got Ron and Hermione hurt in the Department of Mysteries, Sirius died because of me, all of the people who died fighting with us. I caused all of that."

"No you didn't! That monster caused that, you didn't. You don't really feel like that, do you?"

"Sometimes I do. It's like everyone I care about dies or gets hurt when they're around me."

"I haven't been hurt."

"What do you call that burn that I healed the other day, hmm?"

"So, now you're going to take the blame for something that would have happened whether you were here or not? That's not how it works. You can only take the blame for things that you directly caused, not things that were caused by someone else. You can't take responsibility for things that someone else caused that you only reacted to."

Harry stared at him, mouth slightly agape. "What do you mean?"

"Ron told me about the Department of Mysteries. He said that you went because of a vision sent to you by You-Know-Who. You didn't cause what happened in there, You-Know-Who did by sending you that vision. You didn't cast the curse that sent Sirius into the Veil, Bellatrix Lestrange did. You didn't cause the war, You-Know-Who and Dumbledore did. You merely reacted to something done or said to you. I would have reacted in exactly the same way, had it been me." He saw that Harry was still staring at him. "Come here, Harry. I want to go to sleep and I can't do that with you all the way over there."

~OOooOO~

That night Harry didn't sleep much. He kept turning Charlie's words over and over in his mind. _Am I really not to blame for anything that's happened? Was I really only reacting to what someone else did? Is none of this my fault?_

Harry still felt responsible for Ron and Hermione's injuries, if they hadn't gone with him, they wouldn't have been harmed. But, if what Charlie said was right, then he couldn't shoulder the blame, that blame belonged to Voldemort; he was the one who had sent Harry the vision.

He crept out of the bed in the very early hours of the morning, needing to use the loo and wanting to see how much damage had been done to the muscles in his leg. He almost collapsed when he first put weight on it, but quickly sat back on the bed to avoid landing on his arse. He didn't want to wake Charlie, Merlin knew he hadn't had much sleep lately. He stood again and gingerly placed some weight on his left leg. The pain was intense, but he really needed to go to the loo. He hopped his way across the room, after casting a silencing spell on himself. Using the wall as a brace, he slowly made his way down the short hall to the loo. He was surprised that the door was closed, they usually left it open. Just as he was about to put his hand on the door to open it, Draco stepped out and almost fell over in shock.

"Bloody Hell! You scared me! Are you alright? How's your leg?"

"Hurts like hell, but I need to use the loo more than worrying about the pain."

"I'll wait for you out here and help you back into your room when you're done." Harry nodded and hobbled into the loo. Draco leaned against the wall, waiting for Harry to be done.

The door opened and Draco slung an arm around Harry, under his arms, supporting his weight. "Do you want to go straight back to bed?"

Harry shook his head. "No, I'm in too much pain to sleep. Could you help me into the sitting room?"

"Sure." Draco swung the smaller man up into his arms and carried him the short distance into the sitting room and placed him on the sofa. Harry looked up to thank him but was stopped by the look of nervousness on Draco's face.

"What's wrong?"

Draco sat at the other end of the sofa, avoiding Harry's leg. _Now, how to ask him what I want to know._

"Who are you?" _Bluntness is not always a positive attribute_, he thought as he watched Harry stiffen.

"What do you mean, who am I?"

"Charlie said that he couldn't tell me anything, that if you wanted me to know who you are, you would have to tell me. I know you're under a Fidelius Charm."

"How do you know that?" Harry thought about exactly how much he wanted Draco to know.

"I can feel the magic. The only other person I've met, who's still alive, that gives off magic like that is Harry Potter. He gives it off in waves."

Harry made up his mind. Draco deserved to know who he was, after he had spilled his guts over the last week, he deserved no less. "Look at me, and listen to me very carefully. You are not to say anything about this to anyone other than Charlie or Bill. They are the only two that know who and where I am."

"Is this something I should know, then? If you're under a Fidelius Charm, will it harm you for me to know?"

Harry shook his head 'no'. "The only reason I am under the Fidelius Charm was given the Kiss. Bill brought us the news tonight."

"Father." Draco was becoming more and more certain that this person in front of him was someone very important to the side of the Light. But if he was, what was he doing in Romania?

"Yes, your father and Crabbe were the reasons that I am here. Like I said, only Charlie and Bill know who I am, and now you will, too. After everything you've told us this week, I feel you deserve to know who I am." Harry paused and waited until Draco met his eyes again. "My name is Harry James Potter."


	17. Chapter 17

~OOooOO~

Draco felt the power of the magic wash over him. Sitting in front of him on the sofa was a man who he now recognized to be Harry Potter. Draco grabbed Harry's hand and began to murmur "Thank you...thank you."

"Why are you thanking me?"

"You're the first person to trust me since this whole thing ended. You didn't have to trust me; after our history, I wouldn't have expected you to."

"Draco, I forgave you for that a long time ago. Once I realized that you weren't going to take the mark, I forgave our past. I didn't know you or your mother were spies, Dumbledore never told me. If I had known, you would have been protected better. I knew about the beatings during our sixth year. I went to Dumbledore about it, because I thought he would prevent it. I was basically told to mind my own business, that you could take care of yourself. I was never able to catch any of them while they were hurting you, but once I found out that another beating had occurred, I made sure to find out who was responsible and made them aware that I knew. I don't suppose that you ever noticed Crabbe and Goyle would mysteriously end up in the infirmary after each of your beatings, did you?"

"I stopped paying any attention to them as soon as Mother and I escaped to Hogwarts. I knew they were the ones doing the actual beating, but there was always at least one person behind them, giving the orders. I never found out who it was."

"Well, I did; I told you that I found out and made them aware that I knew. Most of the time it was between Pansy Parkinson and Theodore Nott. Occasionally, there would be an order from your father, sent through one of them, but it was mostly them."

"I'm going to assume that the worst beatings were under the orders of my father. Every so often a beating would be so bad that I had to stay several days in the infirmary. Blaise didn't get it quite as badly as I did, but, since he would protect me and I him, he got hurt quite a bit."

"I got revenge for him, too. I had been told by Madame Pomfrey that you were sticking up for each other and that he deserved my revenge, too. She was the only one who knew that I kept sending Crabbe and Goyle to see her...she seemed to approve."

Draco smiled, but the smile dropped quickly as the fire flared in the hearth. He spun around and pointed his wand at the person emerging. Draco lowered his wand when he realized it was Bill. Harry noticed that he kept his hand in the green flames to keep the connection open.

"What are you doing, Bill?"

"Draco, someone wants to see you. He basically threatened me with bodily harm if I didn't tell him where you were." Draco's eyes went wide as Blaise Zabini stepped through the flames and swept him into a tight hug.

"You disappeared! You didn't even tell me you were leaving and then you disappeared!"

"I couldn't, not while Father was still alive. I've been here for the last week, staying out of the way, just in case he escaped. Bill was here earlier and told us about him getting the Kiss."

Blaise bent his head down and captured Draco's lips with his own. "Don't you ever to that to me again, do you hear me Draco Malfoy? For the last week, I've had all sorts of horrible nightmares about what could have happened to you. I don't ever want to go through that again!" He snogged Draco as if there would be no tomorrow; both Harry and Bill looked away.

Catching Bill's eye, Harry motioned for him to come over to the sofa. "I told him. After everything he told me and Charlie this week, I felt he deserved to know."

Bill nodded in agreement. "As long as he doesn't tell anyone else."

"He won't, but aren't I safe now?"

"I think so, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. Just a few more days, alright?" Bill looked down at Harry's face and noticed the pain-pinched look about it. "What's wrong?"

"The muscles in my leg went into spasm tonight...Charlie told me that I'd torn a couple of them before he could get the reserve's healer in here. It hurts like hell."

"Come on then, let's get you back to bed, before Charlie wakes up."

"Too late." The sleep roughened voice came from the hallway leading to the bedrooms. "What's going on and why didn't anyone invite me to the party?"

Harry tried to get off of the couch, but Draco turned to face him. "If you so much as move one more muscle, I'm going to stun you. You tore muscles in that leg, I don't think you're supposed to be putting weight on it."

Charlie walked in and sat on the sofa next to Harry, effectively trapping him there. "No, you're not supposed to be walking right now. How did you get out here?"

"I had to use the loo and then Draco carried me the rest of the way."

Blaise looked back and forth between the occupants of the room. He knew Bill and Draco, of course, and he recognized Charlie, but he had no idea who the other man was. "Draco, would you introduce me to your friend?"

Draco hesitated for a split second. "Blaise, this is Harry Weasley, Charlie's bond-mate. You remember Charlie, right? Harry, this is Blaise Zabini, my..." He paused, not sure what to call Blaise.

"His boyfriend, if he'll have me, and if he'll promise to tell me where he's going in the future." Draco spun to face Blaise, a look of extreme happiness on his pale features.

"You mean that?" Blaise nodded and Draco practically dragged him into his bedroom, slamming the door shut behind them.

Harry chuckled and hoped that Draco and Blaise would be happy together. Draco deserved some happiness in his life after the mess his father had made of it. He looked at Charlie. "Please don't be mad at me, I really did have to use the loo."

"I'm not mad, just make sure someone's there to help you next time."

"I didn't want to wake you. Besides, Draco carried me in here from the hall, he wouldn't let me walk." Harry paused for a moment, then forged on. "I told Draco who I am. I felt that he deserved to know, after baring his soul to us this week. I felt kind of odd when he'd talk about me like I wasn't there; after a while, I realized that, to him, I wasn't there. I felt like he'd earned the right to know. And, as you heard, he didn't give me away."

Bill turned to look at them closely. "Since Malfoy is gone now, you don't have to remain in hiding anymore. Do you want to come back to England in a few days?"

Harry felt Charlie stiffen beside him. _He thinks I'm going to leave him_, thought Harry. "I want us to go back to let everyone know that I'm fine, but I want to come back here. I like it here and I'm not leaving Charlie. I don't care who knows about us, I know you already do. I love Charlie and wherever he is, that's where I want to be."

Bill's eyes widened as he realized what Harry was saying. He looked at his brother and saw the tears in his eyes. "If that's what you want, Harry, then that's what we'll do. You might want to consider staying long enough to allow Mum to plan a bonding ceremony, unless you want to continue just living together."

Charlie turned to look at Harry. "What do you want to do? If you'll have me, I would be honoured for you to be my husband. I love you, too, Harry."

"Well, I can't exactly get down on bended knee, so this will have to do...Charlie Weasley, would you do me the honour of making me the happiest man alive, will you marry me?"

Charlie leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on Harry's lips. "I will.


	18. Chapter 18

~OOooOO~

Charlie carried Harry in to the healer's office the next morning. Helga turned around just as Charlie was getting ready to set Harry down. "No, over here...I can't look at him if he's sitting in a chair."

Charlie moved over to the cot Helga had indicated and gently set Harry down on it. He moved to the side, but stayed well within touching distance. Helga snorted softly. "I'm not going to hurt your little one, Charlie."

"I know, but, if you have to heal anything else, it may hurt him and I want to give him a hand to hold." Charlie flushed lightly as Harry teasingly blew him a kiss.

Helga laughed at his discomfiture, but started to examine Harry. "Please lie down so that I can look at you." Harry swung his legs up on the cot and laid back with his arms at his sides. He really wasn't looking forward to this, he hated being examined by healers. They always found more wrong than you went in there for. He knew she was going to be looking at all of his old injuries from the Dursleys, so he expected the list to be huge. She started at his head and worked her way down, stopping frequently to make notes in a muggle notebook. He noticed that she used a muggle pen and notebook instead of the usual parchment and quill.

"Why do you use a muggle notebook and pen?"

"It is easier if the paper doesn't continually roll up on me and the pen doesn't leak. I can control it much easier." She stopped at Harry's jaw line and frowned. "Your jaw hurts you sometimes, ja?"

"Sometimes, but not often."

"It has been broken...hold still." She muttered a phrase under her breath and Harry felt the bone in his lower jaw shift slightly. The pain wasn't bad, but it was enough to make him wince. She started back at the top of his head again, stopping once she'd reached his neck.

"Please don't tell me they broke my neck at some point!"

"No, no, just making sure...ja, your neck is fine." She continued with the scan, stopping again and again either to write something down or to heal it if it needed healing. She reached his abdomen and stopped again. She shot a quick look at both Harry and Charlie before moving on down his body. She moved back up, watching what the scan projected above Harry's body carefully. She moved on to his arms and stopped several times to heal old breaks; there were quite a few on his arms from where he'd tried to protect himself.

She moved down his body once more, watching the scans again. This time Charlie noticed her behaviour and asked her about it. "In a minute...let me finish the complete scan." She moved to Harry's legs, once again stopping frequently to heal breaks and fractures. She checked over the torn muscles from the night before and smiled slightly when she saw that they were healing quite nicely. She had found that the only healing spell that worked on Harry's muscles was an old German one her grandmother had taught her. It was slow acting, but it healed better than most modern healing spells because it re-knit the muscles instead of just reattaching them. She completed the scan and a piece of parchment that was longer than she was tall spat out of the end of her wand. She handed it to Harry.

"This is a complete list of all of the injuries you have had in your lifetime. I'm curious as to why the killing curse shows up twice on this list. Can you explain that to me?"

Both Harry and Charlie went pale. They hadn't expected that to show up on a scan of injuries. _But it makes sense_, thought Harry, _I was injured both times, once with a scar and the second with death._ Harry looked the medi-witch straight in the eye. "That's not anything that I am willing to share with you."

She nodded and reached out for the list. "There is one other thing on here that you should know about. I don't think you're aware of it yet, but it shouldn't be too long."

Charlie looked up at her, a frown on his face. "What is it? A delayed spell?"

"No, you, my little one, are pregnant."


	19. Chapter 19

~OOooOO~

_"No, you, my little one, are pregnant."_

Harry felt his jaw drop open. "But it's only been a week!" Helga's eyebrows rose at that and Harry remembered that they were supposed to have been bonded for months. He blushed furiously and shot a look at Charlie. He sat there, eyes wide, as he struggled to process what they'd been told. He shook his head and looked back at Harry with tears in his eyes.

"A baby!" he breathed. "We're going to have a baby!" He pulled Harry over into his lap and wrapped his arms around him gently. He placed a hand on Harry's non-existent belly and looked at him again. "We're having a baby!"

Helga chuckled and sat on the chair opposite of Charlie and Harry. "Yes, this happens when you have sex, you know. I may be asking more than you're willing to tell me, but haven't you two been bonded for several months?"

They exchanged a glance and Harry nodded. "I'm going to tell her, it'll make things easier in the long run." He looked back at Helga. "Please keep what I'm going to say to yourself. I've basically been hiding here because it wasn't safe for me in England. My name is Harry Potter."

Like Draco, Helga felt the magic flow over her. The man's looks didn't change, but now she could see things that she recognized, such as his scar. "I understand. I will keep your secret. That does explain how the killing curse would be on your list of injuries." She stood back up and walked to a cabinet in the corner. Unlocking it, she took out four phials of greenish blue potion and handed them to Harry. "These are a nutrient supplement. Take one every morning for the next four days and then I'll check you again. Are you going to be going back to your home?"

Harry held Charlie's eyes as he spoke. "This is my home...wherever Charlie is, is my home." He heard the indrawn breath as the truth of his words hit Charlie. His eyes widened again and he tightened his arms around Harry.

"Love you...love you so much!" He buried his head in the curve of Harry's neck as he struggled not to give in to the tears threatening to fall again. All those months ago, sitting on the second bed in the Burrow, he had never expected Harry to return his feelings. The feeling of being whole was almost overwhelming.

Helga moved to the other side of the room, smiling slightly. Charlie had been so alone for so long, he had thought that he would never find someone to share his life with. Helga was glad that these two had found each other...they were able to give each other exactly what they needed...love. She turned slightly to find that they were still in a tight embrace; she cleared her throat quietly, to remind them of her presence.

Charlie picked Harry up and sat with him on the cot, so that Helga could continue her examination. She walked back over and handed a list to Charlie. "Here is what he needs to do. I'm holding you responsible for his health and safety. No more danger, no more adventure...well, at least not for about a year. After that, I'm not sure you'll want adventure; with a baby around, that's usually more than enough of an adventure for anyone. You'll need to tell your families, ja?" Both men nodded. "Portkey and floo are the only safe modes of transport for you now, little one. No more apparating, at least not until after the baby is born. You are just about a week pregnant, so you won't feel any morning sickness...yet. I've heard that male pregnancies are not quite as bad as female ones for morning sickness. However, since a man's body isn't really made for this, the changes are going to be more noticeable. Every so often, a wizard is born capable of carrying a child. Most never find out, but there are some, like you, who become pregnant. No matter where you are, you will need to seek out the best medical help you can. If you stay here, I'm the best in the area; I've assisted with three male pregnancies."

Harry flushed as he thought of something. "I won't get...um...breasts...will I?"

Helga laughed. "No little one, you won't. You will not be able to breast feed your baby either. You will need to buy infant formula for him or her. You won't have to worry about that for several months, though." She stood and walked to a large bookcase on one wall, picked out a book and handed it to Harry. "This was written by a man who gave birth to all three of his children. It is very informative and should answer any questions you may have. I'll want it back when you're done with it."

Harry and Charlie left the medi-witch's office and immediately went to the director of the reserve's office. The man sitting behind the desk looked up as they entered. Neither man was surprised to see Helga standing next to him.

"Helga tells me that you will need more time to take care of your bond-mate. You have quite a lot of time saved up, Charlie, do you want to take some of it and go back to England for a few months? Helga told me that there is something that you need to tell your families and it can't be done by fire-call or owl."

Charlie nodded. "Yes, Rowan, if I could take some more time, I would greatly appreciate it. Harry is pregnant and we definitely need to tell our family about this."

Rowan stood and Harry was surprised to see that he was only about 5'3" tall; he had never seen the man move from behind his desk. "Congratulations! I am hoping that you'll stay here Charlie. It would be a crime to lose someone as talented as you are."

"Unless Harry wants to live somewhere else, we will be back." He looked at Helga. "We never did talk about Harry apprenticing to you."

"Later...once you've seen your family and make other arrangements. When you come back is fine." She looked at Harry closely. "Once your leg heals completely, do you think you might be interested?"

Harry nodded. "I think so. I think I'd like to become a healer, and I can't think of a better place to use my abilities than here. I'll think about it some more and write down questions I have for you, so that we can talk more when we get back." He shifted slightly, thinking that carrying him like this couldn't be that comfortable for Charlie. "Do you want to put me down? Aren't I too heavy for you?"

Charlie shook his head. "No, you weigh less than some of the other people I've had to carry around. Besides," he leaned in and whispered into Harry's ear, "I'm enjoying holding you this close."

Harry flushed brightly, making everyone else laugh.

~OOooOO~

They made arrangements to go back to England immediately. Draco and Blaise were leaving with them, so that Draco could return to his home and see what kind of damage the Aurors had caused when they searched the Manor. Charlie had fire-called Bill and had told him that they were going to be coming back to England for at least a month. Bill had said that he would let their arrival be a surprise to the family, so that they could tell them everything on their own.

They arranged for two portkeys, one to take Draco and Blaise to Malfoy Manor and the other to take Harry and Charlie to the Burrow. It dropped them in the garden; if Charlie hadn't been holding Harry, he would have fallen. They waited for a moment, to see if the muscles in Harry's leg would cramp again, but they didn't. Charlie carried Harry into the Burrow, through the door held open by Bill. He told them that everyone was in the sitting room as Bill had told them that he had a surprise for them.

They walked through the archway into the sitting room and were immediately surrounded by a sea of red hair. Fred and George had kept their mouths closed about Charlie's 'bond-mate' so almost everyone was taken aback at the sight of Charlie carrying a slender, dark haired man in his arms. Charlie sat Harry on the sofa and sat down next to him, gesturing at everyone to take a seat.

"Alright everyone, I know that you have questions, but let me explain everything first...what we have to say should answer any questions you might have. You know I went back to Romania, right?" Everyone nodded, keeping their eyes on the dark haired man sitting on the sofa. "At this point, it might be better if I let my companion explain who he is." He looked at Harry who nodded and took a deep breath.

"My name is Harry James Potter." Their looks of surprise made Harry want to laugh. He was immediately surrounded by all of the Weasleys and Hermione wanting to touch him or hug him and he put up with it for as long as his leg would allow. Charlie saw the look of pain on his face and made everyone back away. He handed Harry a phial of pain potion. After swallowing the potion, Harry looked around at the faces of everyone who meant so much to him.

"I'm sorry that I didn't say good-bye before I left, but we figured that it would be better if no one knew exactly when I was leaving or where I was going. Charlie didn't go back to Romania when he said he did; he and I left the day I disappeared and used muggle methods to get to Romania. It took us about two weeks. Charlie and Bill were my secret keepers; I wanted it to be Ron and Hermione at first, but knew that the fewer people who knew, the better." He looked at his best mate and his girlfriend. "I'm sorry I didn't choose you two, but I thought that Bill and Charlie would be able to pull it off a little better, considering that they don't live here at the Burrow." Now came the hard part, telling them about him and Charlie.

"I think you all knew this before, but I am gay and so is Charlie. Charlie and I are together now, as a couple."

Ginny hopped out of her seat and ran over to hug her brother and Harry. "I'm so happy for you! I always thought you two would be good together!"

Charlie looked at his father hesitantly, not wanting to see the look of disappointment on his face. It wasn't there. Arthur nodded and walked over to his second oldest son. "I'm sorry for what I said to you years ago. I shouldn't have made it seem like I was embarrassed by it; I just didn't know how to react. You were seventeen and I thought you might be confused. I shouldn't have told you not to tell your mother. I've regretted those words more than you'll ever know because you left for Romania not long after that and I thought that I caused you to leave."

Charlie would never tell his father that his words _**had**_ been the deciding factor on which reserve he was going to work at. He had been asked to work at the Welsh reserve and one in Scotland as well as the one in Romania, but had chosen Romania because of how his father had reacted. He wouldn't hurt his father any more than he had already been hurting himself. "No Dad...Romania offered me more than the other two reserves, that's why I went there." Arthur hugged his son and Harry and then moved away so that Molly could have her turn.

"I wondered why you never told me; I didn't know that your father had told you not to." The glare she gave Arthur promised that he would be paying for that later. "I always knew, but waited for you to tell me yourself. Congratulations!"

Charlie was now the one to take a deep breath. "Well, there's something more to all of this...Harry's pregnant. We just found out two days ago from the reserve's medi-witch."

Molly almost cried when she heard that news. She had been looking forward to grandchildren but her children hadn't been blessed with them yet. Now she would get her first grandchild! She hugged Harry and Charlie again, kissing both of them on their cheeks. There was another Weasley group hug as everyone again came up to the couple and congratulated them. Charlie stood and pulled his mother aside.

"Harry asked me to bond with him. We'd like you to help us plan the ceremony. We're going to be here for another month and a half before we go back to Romania." Molly squealed and wrapped her arms around her son.

"A baby and a bonding! Oh Charlie! You and Harry have made me so happy!"

The news went around the sitting room like wildfire. Fred and George asked Harry if they had been lying before.

"Well, we couldn't tell you who I was at that point. The only reason I'm safe now is because Lucius Malfoy and Crabbe were caught and given the Kiss." He looked at Bill. "Is there any way to end the Fidelius Charm, so that I can come out of hiding completely?"

Bill nodded; he and Charlie said the counter-spell and Harry felt the charm end. He was now Harry Potter to the rest of the world again.


	20. Chapter 20

~OOooOO~

Molly was in her glory planning the bonding ceremony. She made lists and then lists of lists, all with Hermione and Ginny's help. They had the planning well under way and completely under control. Harry rested for a while, not using his left leg for almost two weeks. Charlie definitely got a work-out, carrying Harry everywhere, but he wouldn't let anyone else do it.

Once Harry began walking again, they made plans to go to Hogwarts to see everyone. Draco had written that Severus would like to see him; so Harry wanted to see him first. They flooed directly into the dungeons, so that Harry could avoid the steps; he still was shaky while walking and his balance was off from months of favouring his left leg. They heard the voice of the potions professor as he tore into some hapless second year student about how much of a dunderhead he was. "At least that hasn't changed." Charlie shook his head, trying to control his laughter. Harry slowly walked to the door of the potions classroom and knocked. After a moment, the door was flung open and Severus Snape stood before them in all his glowering glory. That glower turned into a soft smile when he saw Harry, but quickly morphed back into a mock glare.

"I am assuming you are interrupting my class for something important. If not, please wait for me in my office." He lowered his voice. "The password is 'Tea and Crumpets', he said with a grimace. Most likely the password was Narcissa Malfoy's doing. They nodded and walked to the door he had indicated further down the hall.

They entered the private office of Severus Snape and looked around in amazement. The walls were lined with shelves of potions and things floating in jars; Harry didn't want to know what any of them were. They sat in chairs arranged in front of the huge oak desk in the centre of the room and continued to look around. They waited for about ten minutes before Severus joined them. He surprised Harry by kneeling in front of him and clasping one of Harry's hands in both of his.

"When we heard that you went missing, we feared the worst. And then, to make matters more upsetting, Draco disappeared. When he returned he told us that he had been in Romania with Charlie Weasley, is that where you were?"

"Yes, actually Draco lived with both Charlie and I for a week before I told him who I was. I was under a Fidelius charm, so that I could hide in safety. Draco opened up to us and told us things that we didn't know, so I figured I could trust him with my secret. He found out three days before we came back to England."

"Minerva was inconsolable. She thought that Lucius had gotten to you and we just hadn't heard about it yet. I realize it was for your safety, but was there no way to let even just Minerva know you were alright?"

"If you had asked Bill Weasley he might have told you, but I don't know. Until Malfoy and Crabbe were caught and given the Kiss, no one knew where I was except for Bill and Charlie."

"Not even your friends?"

"No, not even them. They knew I was safe, but not where I was. They had helped me get everything ready, but Charlie was the one who got me out of England. I'm sorry that I caused people to worry, but it was the only way to keep me and everyone else safe."

Severus nodded. "I understand. You might, however want to tread lightly around Minerva for a little while, she's been beside herself the entire time you've been gone."

Harry nodded and was silent for a moment. "Draco told me that you gave Ron, Hermione and me each a potion to mask our magical signatures. Thank you for that. Draco said that he didn't think we'd have made it back alive without that potion and I think he was right. Thank you for doing that for us...you risked a lot for a bunch of ungrateful kids, I hope you know that."

Severus gave him a small smile, just a twitching of his lips, really, but a smile nonetheless. "I knew it, and you're welcome. I had hoped I would see you again, so that I could thank you. You overcame quite a bit before you were able to defeat Voldemort. I know about some of it...Poppy told me about the suicide attempts and Albus' treatment of you. We were both under charms that prevented us telling you anything of what he had planned. I don't believe Minerva knew, though; she would have skinned Albus alive."

Harry chuckled and gave his former professor an impulsive hug. The man stiffened slightly, unused to displays of affection from anyone other than Draco or Narcissa. Slowly he returned the hug, gingerly wrapping his arms around the younger man. Charlie was in awe; he had never seen the stern man unbend for anyone.

After agreeing to stay for the evening meal, Harry and Charlie used the floo in Severus' office to go directly into the Transfiguration classroom. Minerva McGonagall was in the middle of teaching about how to change a handkerchief into a duvet when they arrived. She spun around, ready to tear into whomever had decided to interrupt her class; she stopped, staring, when she recognized Harry and Charlie.

Charlie had never seen the older woman move that fast before. Almost before they could blink, she was across the room, holding Harry in her arms. The students gaped at her actions, they had never seen their professor show any hint of emotion before; this was definitely something new. Minerva told the class that they were dismissed in a very shaky voice, tears obviously very close to the surface. Once the classroom was empty, she gave into the tears and just held Harry close to her. Once she had regained some of her composure, she held Harry away from her and demanded an explanation.

Harry went into a little more detail than he had with Severus, telling her what had led to him making the decision to just disappear. "I couldn't risk anyone knowing where I was going to be, so only Bill and Charlie knew. We came back two weeks ago, but, because of the damage to my leg muscles, I couldn't walk well until just recently."

"Are you going to stay here now, in England?"

Harry looked at Charlie who shrugged, leaving the decision up to him. "No...we're going back to Romania in about a month. One of the reasons I wanted to come to Hogwarts before letting anyone else know I was alright was that I want to ask if you'd like to attend my and Charlie's bonding ceremony. It's going to be in two weeks." Minerva's mouth opened, but no sound came out; she just nodded her acceptance.

"We forgot to ask Severus when we were down there...he asked us to stay for the evening meal, so we'll ask then."

"I'm sure that he'll be honoured to attend. He was almost as upset as I was when we heard that you'd disappeared. He'd worked so hard to keep the three of you alive and then you just vanished."

"I know...I wish I could have let more people know, but the more who knew, the more danger there was." Harry reached out to hug her once again. "I need to see Madame Pomfrey now. She worked so hard to keep me alive after the last...incident...with my relatives, I want her to know I'm still here."

They used the floo network again and stepped out of the hearth in the Infirmary. Poppy Pomfrey bustled out of her office only to stop dead in her tracks when she saw Harry. He slowly walked over to her and hugged her tightly. Of all the staff at Hogwarts, she was the one who Harry felt the greatest connection to. She alone knew what he had been through each year, what she had had to heal the first day back at Hogwarts every year since Harry's second year. He could feel the older woman shaking as she cried silently.

Once she had calmed herself, she stood back slightly to look at Harry carefully. "There's something different about you...I can't quite place my finger on it, but there's a definite difference. Now, tell me what happened."

Charlie took over the telling as Harry lay back on one of the beds, exhausted. All of the walking had tired him out and he was afraid of overdoing things with his leg. As Charlie spoke, Poppy ran a few scans on Harry, to make sure that he was healthy, and got the surprise of her life.

"Boys? Do you know..." 

"Yes, we know. We found out two days before we came back. Harry's about 3 weeks pregnant. That's one other thing we wanted to tell you; and to ask if you would come to our bonding ceremony in two weeks at the Burrow."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world. After all Harry and I have been through together, I almost feel like a part of his family."

By this time, Harry was already asleep on the bed that bore his name. A small golden plaque had been attached to the wall:

_This Bed Has Been Dedicated To The Boy Who Lived,_

_Harry James Potter, Who Spent More Time _

_In This Infirmary Than Any Other Hogwarts' Student._

_1991-1998_


	21. Chapter 21

~OOooOO~

The bonding ceremony was, simply put, beautiful. Harry and Charlie had chosen to bond their magic to each other, increasing the ties between them. Charlie had been stunned when he realised just how much magic Harry had stored in his core and how much control he had to exert to keep it there. He felt Harry's love flowing through the bond even before the cuts on their palms had healed. They stood still for a moment, palms clasped together, a silken cord wrapped around their arms, each allowing their magic to settle back in its proper place. Charlie pulled slowly on Harry's hand until his bond-mate was snugly wrapped in his other arm.

"I love you, you know that, right?"

Harry nodded, a small smile gracing his lips. "And I love you, my dragon handler."

Their lips met and a bright blue glow surrounded them as the last requirement for the ceremony was met. Everyone applauded and some whistled at them when it seemed as if they weren't ever going to end the kiss. As their lips parted, the silk cord glowed golden for a moment before separating into two bracelets, wrapped around their right wrists. They sat at the head table for a feast provided by Molly Weasley and the Hogwarts house elves. They had been hard at work for the last two days with preparing the sweets and the house elves had arrived at the crack of dawn that morning to start making the meal itself. Minerva had insisted that the house elves wanted to help with Harry's bonding and Dobby had suggested that they cook the food.

Afterwards, they mingled with the guests before the dancing took place. As they walked up to Draco and Blaise, they could hear a small argument taking place.

"You mean you knew that was Potter and you didn't tell me? I'm your boyfriend and you didn't tell me! I can't believe this!"

"I couldn't, Blaise. They hadn't told me that I could, so I had to keep my mouth closed about it."

"Yes, but...me! You know I wouldn't have said anything...Oh, hello Potter. Very nice ceremony."

"Thank you Blaise. By the way, Draco's right, we hadn't given him permission to tell any one. I'm happy that he didn't; it was my secret to tell."

Blaise had the good sense to look apologetically at his boyfriend. "Sorry, Love, I should have known better." Draco accepted his apology and pulled him out of the tent so that they could apologise to each other in private.

Ron and Hermione walked up to Harry and Charlie to let them know that Molly wanted to know if they wanted to dance first or if they wanted to cut the cake instead. They wanted to dance first...they were planning on leaving as soon as they had cut the cake. They moved out onto the dance floor and waited as a slow song began to play. Harry had been worried that he wouldn't be able to dance with Charlie, but his leg had healed perfectly, even the limp he had before the torn muscles was gone.

Charlie pulled Harry into his arms and began to move them in the steps of a slow waltz. Arthur had made sure that both men had known how to do this one dance flawlessly; he had been practising with them individually and watching as they danced together. He had said that, if there was one dance that _**must**_ happen at their wedding, it was a waltz. Since neither man could dance to any other dances, this would be the one that everyone would see them perform.

Molly sighed happily as she watched her son and son-in-law spin around the floor. She knew that they would be going back to Romania in two weeks, but she was happy that they had decided to bond in England; this way, everyone could join in their happiness. Arthur snaked his arms around his wife's ample body and hugged her tightly, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I never thought that Charlie could be so happy. I'm glad that he and Harry found love together."

Molly turned her head slightly and kissed her husband's cheek. "I am, too. I was so worried that Charlie would end up alone, never finding someone to share his life with."

The dance ended and then Molly ushered them over to the large cake waiting on one end of the long head table. The cake was cut and they shared the first piece...not giving in to Fred and George's taunts to do as they had seen muggle couples do and smash the cake into each other's faces. Ginny wrapped up two large pieces for them and handed Harry the plate, all the while shooing them out of the tent.

"Go! If you don't leave now, you won't get out of here for hours. I don't know where you're going, but have fun!" She gave them each a kiss and went back to the reception. Charlie picked Harry up in his arms, dropping a small kiss on his lips.

"Let's go, husband mine. I can't wait to get you alone!"

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see. I had to ask permission for this one, so it had better be worth it." Charlie strode into the house and walked up to the hearth. He had Harry throw a handful of the floo powder into the empty hearth and waited for the green flames to appear. "Honeymoon Suite!"

He stepped in and after a minute of spinning, stepped out into a room decorated as a bridal bower. There were flowers everywhere and a bottle of champagne chilling in an ice bucket; the large four-poster bed was decorated with vines and leaves. Setting Harry down, Charlie took the plate of cake from him and cast a preservation charm on it, so that it would stay fresh for them to enjoy later.

Pulling Harry into his arms, he kissed his husband how he had not been able to earlier, with passion and roving hands. They quickly shed their clothing and toppled over into the bed, Charlie being careful not to land on Harry. The groping moved on to slow, arousing caresses and they both knew that this first time as husbands was not going to be slow. They had been stymied in their attempts to be alone while they were at the Burrow, Molly or Hermione always seemed to notice when they disappeared together. This was the first time they had been by themselves, except for sleeping, since they had arrived a month ago.

Charlie moved over Harry and began to kiss and lick his way down the lightly muscled chest and still flat abdomen before reaching the prize he was seeking. As he began to run his lips and tongue up and down Harry's shaft, he reached for the bottle of oil on the bedside table. He poured some onto his fingers and began to lightly rub them over Harry's entrance. When Harry moaned low in his throat, Charlie breeched him with one finger. Harry couldn't keep his body still as Charlie prepared him. Helga had warned him that he might become aroused more quickly because of the pregnancy, but nothing had prepared him for the feelings that Charlie was producing.

Once Charlie was certain that Harry was ready for him, he slicked up his shaft and positioned himself at Harry's entrance. He locked eyes with his husband as he slowly slid inside, giving Harry time to adjust. Once Harry nodded his approval, he began to thrust, slowly at first, and then picking up speed and strength. The sounds Harry was making were driving him absolutely spare; every little moan or passionate whimper caused his breathing to catch and his hips to speed up slightly. By the time their orgasms neared, both men were incoherent and almost begging each other for release.

Harry felt the first pulses of his orgasm wash over him and he almost screamed with pleasure. Charlie tightened his grip on Harry's hips and thrust three more times before he followed his husband. As he released himself in Harry's welcoming body, a bright golden glow encompassed the men; this glow was the sign that the bond was well and truly completed.

A few hours later, Harry woke to find Charlie lying next to him, tracing small patterns on his chest. He smiled at his husband and leaned into Charlie's chest for a kiss. When they parted, Harry looked around curiously.

"Where are we?"

"Hogwarts."

Harry's eyes opened wide. "They have a honeymoon suite at Hogwarts? That's a little...disturbing."

Charlie laughed. "No, this is an unused suite that Minerva allowed Dobby to decorate for this one time. Remember I said that I had to ask for permission? Well, Minerva offered it, but I had to ask for permission from the castle itself. The fact that Dobby was allowed to decorate it meant that the castle approved. It was really interesting asking a building if I could bring my new husband here for our first night as a bonded couple."

"How did you know if it agreed?"

"A map of the castle appeared on the wall, showing me where the suite would be. We are in the centre of the castle here. Minerva laughed when she saw and told me that, if the castle could do it, this bed would probably be placed in the exact centre. I think that's why it's not against a wall, but sitting out in the middle of the room."

Harry chuckled and snuggled into Charlie's warm body. He knew that the castle approved; he could feel the happiness that it let wash over them. They fell asleep again, wrapped up in each other's arms and the protection of Hogwarts Castle.


	22. Chapter 22

~OOooOO~

Two weeks after the bonding ceremony Charlie and Harry left England to go back to Romania. They settled back into the small cabin and started the rest of their lives together. Charlie went back to the dragons and Harry began his apprenticeship with Helga. He knew in his head that he wasn't responsible for the injuries and deaths caused by the war, but his heart insisted that he needed to be a healer, to fix people, to help them. The training was more intensive than he'd thought it would be, but he threw himself into it, heart and soul. He would be apprenticing with Helga for almost two years before he received the title of Healer, which was a step up from medi-witch/wizard. It was because of the intensive training that the time was so short. He was going to be cramming four years of work into two years of time.

Seven months into his training, Harry was setting the table for a romantic dinner with Charlie when he felt the muscles in his back cramp. When the cramp went away and didn't occur again, he dismissed it, but kept an eye on the clock, just to make sure. Twenty minutes later, another cramp raced across his back and around to his belly. He kept working, but more slowly now. He waited until the third cramp hit, this time directly across his belly, before putting a warming charm on the food and heading out of the cabin to find Charlie.

Charlie was walking toward the cabin, whistling lightly, when he saw Harry coming across the enclosure. As he watched, Harry stopped and wrapped his arms around his belly before falling to his knees. Charlie ran the rest of the way to his husband and picked him up in his arms. He quickly walked to Helga's cabin, whispering endearments into his ear. He didn't bother knocking, he knew Helga's girlfriend was there right now, but they would be eating...hopefully. Luck was with him as he saw both women at the table, just finishing their meal.

"It is time, ja?" Helga gestured to Charlie to take Harry into the side room that she used strictly for surgeries.

"Yes...ooh!" Harry's words were cut off as a rather bad pain gripped his belly and he had to stop speaking in order to breathe through it.

Everything seemed to move very quickly from that point. Helga prepped Harry for the Caesarian Section delivery and went to work. Less than ten minutes later, both Harry and Charlie heard the high pitched wail of a baby.

"Congratulations Charlie, Little One. You have a healthy baby..."


	23. Chapter 23

~OOooOO~

3000 kilometres away, in a strange looking house in England, a fire flared green and a small box emerged onto the rug in front of the hearth. A tall red-headed man walked out of the kitchen looking around for the person who had activated the floo. Seeing no one, the man cautiously drew his wand and moved further into the room. Finally noticing the box on the floor, he immediately cast several spells on it to determine whether or not it was safe to touch. When it proved harmless, he picked up the box and moved back into the kitchen.

"Molly, Dear, were you expecting anything to be delivered by floo today?"

"No Arthur, why? Did we receive something?"

Arthur Weasley handed his wife the small box and sat at the table watching her examine it. She knew he had already checked it out, so it was safe for her to open. There seemed to be a length of material underneath a small note...

_**Just thought you might like to know**_...

Molly pulled out the material and unfurled it; it was a blue baby blanket. Molly sat on the closest chair and covered her mouth with a hand as she began to cry. Arthur, not realising the significance of the blanket, rushed around the table to put his arms around his wife.

"What is it? What's wrong" When she continued to cry, Arthur began to worry that something was dreadfully wrong. "Molly, Love...please tell me what's wrong!"

She raised watery blue eyes to meet the worried blue of her husband's. "We have a grandson!"


End file.
